Definition

Kleptomania is a strong desire to steal. Often a kleptomaniac person steals things he could have bought easily, or things that are not at all expensive. The person steals just for the tension, or the kick and recognizes this behaviour is wrong but cannot resist carrying it out. Kleptomania can be the result of emotional shortcomings during the youth. This diagnosis is one of the oldest clinical diagnoses and can be traced back over 200 years.However, it is also overused as less than 1 out of 20 shoplifters can be diagnosed with this disorder though they may claim to have kleptomania in attempt to avoid prosecution. Onset is often in childhood and it tends to be chronic.

Symptoms

These patients have an irresistible inclination to steal. Often they throw away the stolen goods. They are mostly interested in the kick of the stealing itself. Kleptomania is distinguished from shoplifting because shoplifters plan stealing of objects and usually steal because they do not have money to purchase the items. Signs of kleptomania include:

• Taking objects on impulse, without planning ahead.



• Repeatedly taking things that are not valuable or needed for personal use.



• Feeling increased tension right before the theft.



• Thefts are not committed as a result of delusions, hallucinations or as acts of revenge or anger.



• Feeling pleasure or relief at the time of the theft

Thefts cannot be explained by Antisocial Personality Disorder, Conduct Disorder or a Manic Episode

Causes

Kleptomania is rare overall, but more common in females than in males. It is obviously difficult to document the precise number of people with kleptomania. People with kleptomania often have another psychiatric disorder, often a mood disorder such as depression and anxiety. There is indirect evidence linking it with abnormalities in the brain chemical serotonin.

Some clinicians view kleptomania as part of the obsessive-compulsive spectrum of disorders, reasoning that many individuals experience the impulse to steal as an alien, unwanted intrusion into their mental state. Also, other evidence indicates that kleptomania may be related to, or a variant of, mood disorders, such as depression.

Eating disorders and substance abuse disorders are common in individuals with kleptomania.

Treatment

Treatment typically involves behaviour modification. Other treatment approaches involve seeing the theft as an unconscious process and analyzing it as such may assist in gaining insight and eventually extinguishing the behaviour.

This disorder is rather easy to treat. It is important to find another occupation to replace the stealing activity. It is also very important to make the patient realize that others are harmed by the stealing activities.

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Edition No. 32
Insight EFAP International