READ: When being CHEAP becomes an obsession (A DISEASE)

Sure, it's fashionable to be frugal. But sometimes severe frugality can morph into a serious mental disorder.

Do you or someone you know go beyond being a cheapskate? If so, you may have a money disorder — one that financial therapists call "underspending." Here are some symptoms of a chronic underspender:

• Avoiding the doctor so you don't have to shell out the cash for the insurance co-pay.
• Neglecting to pay for basic necessities in life, such as seeing the dentist or hiring a repairman to fix a leaking ceiling.
• Running to the bank or checking your bank statement each day for errors to call the bank and harass the customer service for a  forgotten transaction you made.
• Worrying constantly about money even though some of them have healthy savings and little debt or Vice Versa.
• Taking advantage of others to save money, whether it's leaving an embarrassing small tip or constantly arguing about the quality of a provider's service to try to get an item for free.
• Spend long hours cutting up coupons and arranging them according their validity.
• Refusing to invest in even low-risk options such as CDs or money markets.
• Worrying about every little things like, amount of tooth paste to use, Budgeting on how to spend quarters/pennies in the car, buying little groceries and expect it lasts longer. 

Underspenders are not naturally inclined to use credit cards, but studies show that when they do use credit, they spend a lot more, says Scott Rick, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Michigan.

Sometimes, their decisions aren't rational. They may put off maintenance on their home or car, or drive across town to save a few cents per gallon on gas. They often buy only the cheapest available items -- which are typically more likely to break and force them to go back to buy another, costing more time and money in the long run. Some under spenders have tens of thousands of dollars sitting in a bank account or under a mattress because they aren't comfortable with the risks of investing it. They're also likely to have relationship problems, especially if they marry someone prone to spending.

Unlike those who are simply thrifty, chronic underspenders pass up purchases not because they enjoy saving money or making practical sacrifices to reach a larger goal -- but because it physically pains them to part with cash. Their income makes no difference. Some are attorneys making $400,000 a year; others are waiters who make $20,000.

"Underspenders go without things they can afford, and they have trouble enjoying their resources," says Brad Klontz, a financial psychologist and author of "Mind Over Money: Overcoming The Money Disorders that Threaten Our Financial Health." "Severe underspenders neglect basic self care. They cry over every little things that causes them to spend money or over things they consider waste of resources.

Of course, underspenders are tough to treat because most of them don't see anything wrong with their behavior -- in fact, they're proud of it -- and the last thing they want to do is spend money for therapy. "Pretty much the only way I see them is if their spouse drags them in," says Settel, the psychiatrist.