KLEPTOMANIA

Kleptomania is a condition in which an individual experience a consistent impulse to steal items not needed for use or monetary value. The objects are stolen despite typically being of little value to the individual and are often given away or discarded after being taken.

Features

A. The essential feature of kleptomania is the recurrent failure to resist impulses to steal items even though the items are not needed for personal use or for their monetary value

B. The individual experiences a rising subjective sense of tension before the theft and feels pleasure, gratification, or relief when committing the theft

C. The stealing is not committed to express anger or vengeance, is not done in response to a delusion or hallucination and is not better explained by conduct disorder, a manic episode, or antisocial personality disorder

D. The objects are stolen despite the fact that they are typically of little value to the individual, who could have afforded to pay for them and often gives them away or discards them.

Symptoms and Diagnosis

A. Recurrent failure to resist impulses to steal objects tliat are not needed for personal use or for their monetary value.

B. Increasing sense of tension immediately before committing the theft.

C. Pleasure, gratification, or relief at the time of committing the theft.

D. The stealing is not committed to express anger or vengeance and is not in response to a delusion or a hallucination.

E. The stealing is not better explained by conduct disorder, a manic episode, or antisocial personality disorder.

Treatment

The treatment for kleptomania may include a combination of psychotherapy and psychopharmacology.

Counselling or therapy may be in a group or one-on-one setting. It is usually aimed at dealing with underlying psychological problems that may be contributing to kleptomania. Possible treatments include:

Behavior modification therapyFamily therapyCognitive behavioral therapyPsychodynamic therapy

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which raise serotonin levels in the brain, may also be used to treat kleptomania.