Kleptomania
Kleptomania is the inability to resist the urge to steal items that you generally don't really need and that usually has little value. Kleptomania is a rare but serious mental health disorder that can cause much emotional pain to you and your loved ones if not treated.
Frist described in 1816, is classified in psychiatry as an impulse control disorder. Some of the main characteristics of the disorder suggest that Kleptomania could be an Obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorder, but also share similarities with addictive and mood disorders.
The disorders id frequently under-diagnosed and are regularly associated with other psychiatric disorders, anxiety, and eating disorders, and alcohol and substance abuse. Patients with Kleptomania are typically treated with therapies in other areas due to the comorbid grievances rather than issues directly related to Kleptomania.
An impulse control disorder that results in an irresistible urge to steal. The cause of Kleptomania remains unknown but risk factors include a family history of kleptomania or other impulsive control disorders. It occurs more often in women. Kleptomania is a serious disorder that causes an irresistible urge to steal items. Consequences can include job loss, financial penalties, and trouble with the police. No cure exists, but treatment with talk therapy and medication such as antidepressants may help end the cycle of compulsive stealing.
Kleptomania is typically diagnosed by a physician or mental health professional. Because kleptomania commonly co-occurs with other conditions such as eating disorders, substance and alcohol abuse, and anxiety disorders, it is often diagnosed when people are referred to a doctor for their comorbid psychiatric symptoms.
Kleptomania or compulsive stealing is a common cause of theft that many forget about. This type of stealing is about a psychological compulsive instead of a desire to profit or gain something material or financial, as defined by the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders.
Kleptomania is frequently thought of as being a part of OCD. Irresistible and uncontrollable actions are similar to the frequently excessive, unnecessary, and unwanted rituals of OCD. Some individuals with kleptomania demonstrate hoarding symptoms that resemble those with Obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Kleptomania is a type of impulsive control disorder- a disorder that's characterized by problems with emotional or behavioral self-control. If you have an impulse control disorder, you have difficulty resisting the temptation or drive to perform an act that's excessive or harmful to you or someone else. Many people with kleptomania live lives of secret shame because they're afraid to seek mental health treatment. Although there's no cure for kleptomania, treatment with medication or talk therapy may help to end the cycle of compulsive stealing.
Symptoms:
Kleptomania symptoms may include:
- Inability to resist powerful urges to steal items that you don't need
- Feeling increased tension, anxiety or arousal leading up to the theft
- Feeling pleasure, relief or gratification while stealing
- Feeling terrible guilt, remorse, self-loathing, shame or fear of arrest after the theft
- Return of the urges and a repetition of the kleptomania cycle
Features:
Kleptomania typically exhibits these features or characteristics:
- Unlike typical shoplifters, people with kleptomania don't compulsively steal for personal gain, on a date, for revenge or out of rebellion. They steal simply because the urge is so powerful that can't resist it.
- Episodes of kleptomania generally occur spontaneously, usually without planning and without the help of collaboration from another person.
- Most people with kleptomania steal from public places, such as stores and supermarkets. Some may steal from friends or acquaintances, such as at a party.
- Often, the stolen item has no value to the person with kleptomania and the person can afford to buy them.
- The stolen items are usually stashed away, never to be used. Items may also be donated, give away to family or friends, or even secretly returned to the place from which they were stolen.
Diagnosis:
When you decide to seek treatment for symptoms of possible kleptomania, you may have both a physical and psychological evaluation. The physical evaluation can determine if there may be any medical causes triggering your symptoms.
Kleptomania is diagnosed based on your signs and symptoms. Because it's a type of impulse control disorder, to help pinpoint a diagnosis
- Questions about your impulses and how they make you feel.
- List of situations to ask if these situations trigger tour kleptomania episodes
- Fill out psychological questionnaires or self- assessments.
- Use the criteria in the diagnostic and statistical of mental disorders(DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association.
Causes:
The causes of kleptomania are not known. Several theories suggest that changes in the brain may be at the root of kleptomania. More research is needed t better understand these possible causes, but kleptomania may be linked to:
- Problems with naturally occurring brain chemicals called serotonin. Serotonin helps regulate moods and emotions. Low levels of serotonin are common in people prone to impulsive behaviors.
- Addictive disorders: Stealing may cause the release of dopamine. Dopamine causes pleasurable feelings, and some people seek this rewarding feeling again and again.
- The brain's opioid system: Urges are regulated by the brain's opioid system. An imbalance in this system could make it harder to resist urges.
Risk factors:
Kleptomania is considered uncommon. However, some people with kleptomania may never seek treatment, or they're simply hailed after repeated thefts, so some cases of kleptomania may never be diagnosed. Kleptomania often beings during the teen years or in young adulthood, but can start in adulthood or later.
- Family history: having a first- degree relative, such as a parent or sibling, with kleptomania, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or an alcohol or other substance use disorder may increase the risk of kleptomania.
- Having another mental illness: People with kleptomania often have another mental illness, such as bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, an eating disorder, substance use disorder, or a personality disorder.
Complications:
- Left untreated, Kleptomania can result in emotional, family work, legal, and financial problems. For example, you know stealing is wrong but you feel powerless to resist the impulse, so you may be wracked by guilt, self-loathing, and humiliation. Arrested for stealing.
Other complications:
- Other impulsive control disorders, such as compulsive gambling or shopping
- Alcohol and substance misuse
- Personality disorders
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Eating disorders
- Bipolar disorder
- Suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, and suicide.
Psychotherapy:
Form psychotherapy called cognitive behavioral therapy helps you identify unhealthy, negative beliefs and behaviors and replace them with healthy, positive ones. Cognitive-behavioral therapy may include these techniques to help you control kleptomania urges:
- Covert sensitization: in which you picture yourself stealing and facing negative consequences, such as being caught.
- Aversion therapy, in which you practice mildly painful techniques, such as holding your breath until you become uncomfortable when you get an urge to steal.
- Systematic desensitization, in which you practice relaxation techniques and picture yourself controlling urges to steal.
Avoiding relapses:
It's not unusual to have relapses of Kleptomania. To help avoid replaces, be sure to stick to your treatment plan. If you feel urges to steal, contact your mental health professional, or reach out to a trusted person or support group.
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