Definition

Kleptomania is an impulse control disorder characterized by a recurrent failure

to resist stealing.
Description
Kleptomania is a complex disorder characterized by repeated, failed attempts to
stop stealing. It is often seen in patients who are chemically dependent or who
have a coexisting mood, anxiety, or eating disorder.
Other coexisting mental disorders may include major depression, panic attacks, s
ocial phobia , anorexia nervosa , bulimia nervosa , substance abuse, and obsessi
ve-compulsive disorder .
People with this disorder have an overwhelming urge to steal and get a thrill fr
om doing so.
The recurrent act of stealing may be restricted to specific objects and settings
, but the affected person may or may not describe these special preferences. Peo
ple with this disorder usually exhibit guilt after the theft.
Detection of kleptomania, even by significant others, is difficult and the disor
der often proceeds undetected. There may be preferred objects and environments w
here theft occurs.
One theory proposes that the thrill of stealing helps to alleviate symptoms in p
ersons who are clinically depressed.
Causes and symptoms
Causes
The cause of kleptomania is unknown, although it may have a genetic component an
d may be transmitted among first-degree relatives.
There also seems to be a strong propensity for kleptomania to coexist with obses
sive-compulsive disorder, bulimia nervosa, and clinical depression.
Symptoms
The handbook used by mental health professionals to diagnose mental disorders is
the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders .
Published by the American Psychiatric Association, the DSM contains diagnostic c
riteria and research findings for mental disorders.
It is the primary reference for mental health professionals in the United States
. The 2000 edition of this manual (fourth edition, text revision), known as the
DSM-IV-TR, lists five diagnostic criteria for kleptomania:
* Repeated theft of objects that are unnecessary for either personal use or
monetary value.
* Increasing tension immediately before the theft.
* Pleasure or relief upon committing the theft.
* The theft is not motivated by anger or vengeance, and is not caused by a d
elusion or hallucination.
* The behavior is not better accounted for by a conduct disorder , manic epi
sode , or antisocial personality disorder.
Demographics
Studies suggest that 0.6% of the general population may have this disorder and t
hat it is more common in females. In patients who have histories of obsessive-co
mpulsive disorder,
some studies suggest a 7% correlation with kleptomania. Other studies have repor
ted a particularly high (65%) correlation of kleptomania in patients with bulimi
a.
Diagnosis
Diagnosing kleptomania is usually difficult since patients do not seek medical h
elp for this complaint, and initial psychological assessments may not detect it.
The disorder is often diagnosed when patients seek help for another reason, such
as depression, bulimia, or for feeling emotionally unstable (labile) or unhappy
in general (dysphoric)
. Initial psychological evaluations may detect a history of poor parenting, rela
tionship conflicts, or acute stressors abrupt occurrences that cause stress, such
as moving from one home to another.
The recurrent act of stealing may be restricted to specific objects and settings
, but the patient may or may not describe these special preferences.
Treatments
Once the disorder is suspected and verified by an extensive psychological interv
iew, therapy is normally directed towards impulse control, as well as any accomp
anying mental disorder(s).
Relapse prevention strategies, with a clear understanding of specific triggers,
should be stressed.
Treatment may include psychotherapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and r
ational emotive therapy . Recent studies have indicated that fluoxetine (Prozac)
and naltrexone (Revia) may also be helpful.
Prognosis
Not much solid information is known about this disorder. Since it is not usually
the presenting problem or chief complaint, it is frequently not even diagnosed.
There are some case reports that document treatment success with antidepressant
medications, although as with almost all psychological disorders, the outcomes v
ary.
Prevention
There is little evidence concerning prevention. A healthy upbringing, positive i
ntimate relationships, and management of acutely stressful situations may lower
the incidence of kleptomania and coexisting disorders.

Symptoms of Kleptomania
The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Kleptomania incl
udes the 4 symptoms listed below:
* Intense urge to steal
* Compulsive thieving
* Relief and gratification during theft
* Anxiety and tension prior to committing theft
Symptoms of Kleptomania
* Intense urge to steal
* Compulsive thieving
* Relief and gratification during theft
* Anxiety and tension prior to committing theft
Treatments for Kleptomania
* Cognitive-behavioral therapy, medication
* Kleptomania is considered an impulse control disorder and treatments inclu
de:
o Psychotherapy
+ Cognitive behavioural therapy
+ Exposure and response prevention (ERP)

Treatment List for Kleptomania

The list of treatments mentioned in various sources for Kleptomania includes the
 following list.
Always seek professional medical advice about any treatment or change in treatme
nt plans.
* Cognitive-behavioral therapy, medication
* Kleptomania is considered an impulse control disorder and treatments inclu
de:
o Psychotherapy
+ Cognitive behavioural therapy
+ Exposure and response prevention (ERP)
+ Habit reversal training
o Meditation and relaxation
o Hypnotherapy
o Medication
+ SSRI's - fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine
+ Clomipramine
+ Desipramine
+ SNRI's - venlafaxine
o High dose Inositol (Vitamin B8) - Shown in some preliminary studies to
have benefits in OCD as well as some other psychiatric conditions

Kleptomania: Causes and Types

Causes of Broader Categories of Kleptomania:
Review the causal information about the various more general categories of medic
al conditions:
* Mental illness
* Impulse Control Disorders
* Mental health conditions

Related information on causes of Kleptomania:

As with all medical conditions, there may be many causal factors. Further releva
nt information on causes of Kleptomania may be found in:
* Contagiousness for Kleptomania
* Genetics of Kleptomania

examples of kleptomania
* "I try to catch myself and wonder if I am not overreacting, but seriously
, how many people, both unemployed and underemployed, the latter being the great
hidden secret the family does not want to face,
sort of like Uncle John's drinking problem, or Aunt Millie's kleptomania, that i
s spinning exponentially out of control and threatens to accelerate the misery i
ndex beyond anything we are now facing."
Lance Simmens: I Have a (Christmas) Dream
* ""Then," resumed Roger, who had evidently been pondering what Lady Bernard
had previously said, "you would consider what is called kleptomania as the impu
lse to steal transmitted by a thief-ancestor?""
The Vicars Daughter
* "Pathological gambling is similar to many other impulse control disorders s
uch as kleptomania, pyromania, and trichotillomania."
New morning ritual
 * "Sexual inversion is frequently regarded as one of them: i.e., as an episod
ic syndrome of a hereditary disease, taking its place beside other psychic stigm
ata, such as kleptomania and pyromania."
Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 2 Sexual Inversion
* "Its chief one, however, is to provide long words to cover the errors of th
e rich: 'kleptomania' for example."
NYT > Home Page
* "News Corp has been increasingly aggressive since Mr Murdoch said search en
gines such as Google engaged in '' kleptomania ''."
The Sydney Morning Herald News Headlines
* "This study examined the efficacy and tolerability of the opioid antagonist
naltrexone in adults with kleptomania who have urges to steal."
Science
* "These preliminary results are said to support a link between the symptoms
of kleptomania and the body's opioid system."
Science
* "Even at the age of twenty-two I could see that any job that encouraged my
darker side of kleptomania, persecution in the name of enlightenment, and time w
asting could only end in disaster,
and I returned to academia where such qualities are understood to be valuable."
Doctor, Heal Thyself « Tales from the Reading Room
* "As I get older (I'm 37) I see that everyone has something, some sort of ba
ggage they bring to the table (such as a divorce, kleptomania, being a control f
reak, some other neurosis)."
A Talk with Paula Kamen, author of All in My Head