The obsession with money, sometimes referred to as "Picsou syndrome," is not an officially recognized medical or psychological diagnosis. The term is used to describe an excessive relationship with money, particularly a tendency to accumulate and preserve resources out of fear of lack. According to a psychologist, health professionals may refer to financial anxiety, excessive concerns related to money, or search for a possible associated psychological disorder. The important criterion is not simply the amount of money saved, but the place that money occupies in daily life and the consequences of this behavior. There is no precise amount or official duration that allows one to say that a person is "obsessed" with money. According to Myriam Sanchez, the real indicator is the place this concern takes in one's life and the suffering it generates. Thinking about one's budget, monitoring savings, or anticipating expenses is not abnormal in itself and can be reassuring in terms of financial management. However, one can start to question their relationship with money if they constantly think about their savings, check their bank account compulsively, recalculate to reassure themselves, constantly anticipate unexpected expenses, feel guilty after a purchase, refuse outings even when they can afford them, fear spending on essential needs, have difficulty enjoying the money they have, or ruminate about their finances when going to bed. A significant financial concern can keep a person in a state of hypervigilance, which can have important consequences on sleep. In the evening, when external solicitations decrease, rumination can become particularly heavy, leading to difficulty falling asleep or causing nighttime awakenings. This can create a vicious circle: worrying, sleeping poorly, and becoming more vulnerable to stress and anxiety. On a relational level, this concern can take up a lot of space, leading to refusal of outings, tensions in the couple, conflicts around expenses, or difficulty enjoying pleasant moments due to a focus on saving. For some people, accumulating or controlling their money allows them to temporarily reduce a feeling of insecurity. Having savings allows one to feel prepared in case of unexpected events such as job loss, unexpected expenses, or changes in situation. However, when anxiety is involved, the need for security becomes constantly more important. Money can then become a way to control uncertainty and temporarily calm a deeper anxiety. For some, the fear of lacking money may also reflect an abandonment anxiety, where concerns about being alone or losing support can drive financial behaviors. It is possible to fear lacking money even if one has enough. A person experiencing financial difficulties obviously has good reasons to worry, but the fear of lacking does not always disappear when income increases or savings become comfortable. Good financial management generally relies on anticipation and flexibility, but in an anxious relationship with money, this flexibility gradually disappears. A useful test is to ask if one can spend a reasonable amount today, if they are capable of moving on, or if they can tolerate not knowing exactly what their financial situation will be in several months. To stop thinking about money all the time, the first step is to understand what triggers anxiety and the behaviors that provide reassurance. These behaviors may include checking one's account several times a day, redoing one's budget when stressed, constantly looking at prices, or regularly asking loved ones if an expense is affordable. These behaviors may reassure in the moment but maintain anxious mechanisms. A first lead is to space out checks by limiting them to specific times rather than every time there is an increase in anxiety. It is also important to distinguish real risk from imagined catastrophe. It can be useful to consult a psychologist when the fear of lacking becomes overwhelming, difficult to control, or a source of suffering. This is especially the case if it disrupts sleep, work, relationships, or hobbies, or if a lot of time is spent checking finances. A professional can help understand what is behind the obsession with money, including the fear of losing autonomy, previous experiences of precarity, the need for control, difficulty in tolerating uncertainty, or fear of abandonment or emotional dependency. The goal is to regain a sufficiently flexible relationship with money: that it can provide security without becoming the essential condition to feeling well.