New Zealanders hooked on psychic hotlines are paying up to $33,000 a year to unlock the secrets of their futures, a study shows.
The global study is examining whether guidelines and regulations should be put in place to protect users of the hotlines - typically used by singlefemales.
As part of the study, Dr Robin Shepherd, at Auckland University, is looking at why people ring psychic hotlines and whether excessive use is a form of addictive behaviour.
Some individuals spend up to $33,000 a year on psychic hotlines, with each call costing between $5 and $300.
Earlier this year, a Victoria University student association officer was fired after it was discovered she had made thousands of dollars worth of phone calls to a psychic hotline.
Acting women's rights officer Clelia Opie was dumped from her position when it emerged she had been making calls to 0900 numbers from various phones in the student union building, racking up a phone bill of nearly $6000, student magazine Salient reported.
The debt was later repaid in full.
Dr Shepherd said while some callers only dabble with the hotlines, others are regular users for as long as 14 years.
Most queries put to psychics are about relationships, and some individuals may call more than one psychic for confirmation of an initial reading.
"Users of psychic hotlines seem to demonstrate a number of addictive behaviours," said Dr Shepherd, of the medical and health sciences faculty.
"Regular users talk of relapsing or needing a fix, and many exhibit signs of anxiety or depression.
"However, companies that run psychic hotlines are not held accountable to any regulations or guidelines and users are only protected by fair trading laws.
"This study is looking at why people call psychics and whether this behaviour should be viewed as addictive and require policymakers to take notice."
