Kleptomania is the prevalent and recurrent inability to resist urges to take (or steal) items that are generally not necessarily needed or in anyways valued by an individual.
Kleptomania is a rare mental health disorder that can lead to emotional hardship from an individual, their friends and families.
According to Scientists individuals suffering from the disorder feel pressure and stress building within them to steal something, when the person commits the theft, the pressure is the released; giving a pleasuring relief.
Kleptomania is not shoplifting, most people who shoplift do it for the need of the item or the monetary worth, while kleptomanias do it to ease their impulse controlled tension, it is an impulse controlled disorder.
Impulse controlled disorders are mental illnesses that involve the repeated failure to resist impulses, or urges, to act in ways, either dangerous or harmful or not. Individuals suffering from this condition also suffer chronic addiction to several things.
History
The word "Kleptomania" is a term that has featured both in the medical and legal vocabulary for centuries now, dating back to the early 19th century when a Swiss physician Mathey wrote of a unique mental condition which is characterized by the tendency to steal without motive or necessity.
He termed the condition as klopemania or a "stealing insanity". The name for the disorder changed to kleptomanie and described by the French physicians Marc and Esquirol as "persons having irresistible and involuntary urges to steal”. Subsequently, kleptomania was included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-I) in 1962 as a supplementary term rather than a formal diagnosis. Though the term was omitted from the DSM-II, it was reintroduced in the DSM-III under the category of 'impulse controlled disorder'. Kleptomania retains its position under the same diagnostic category in DSM-IV-TR
Causes
The cause of Kleptomania is unknown, although it is believed to have possible genetic components and might be transmissible among first-degree relatives. People with Kleptomania often suffer from other psychiatric disorder, such as depressive and bipolar disorders, eating disorders, personality disorders, substance abuse disorders and other impulse-control disorders. There are evidences linking Kleptomania with the neurotransmitter pathways in the brain which are associated with behavioral addictions and those associated with the serotonin, dopamine, and opioid systems.
Some clinicians view Kleptomania as part of the obsessive-compulsive spectrum of disorders, arguing that many individuals experience the impulse to steal as an alien, unwanted intrusion into their mental state. Other evidences or arguments indicate that kleptomania may be related to, or be a variant of mood disorders such as depression.
Skeptics have decried kleptomania as an invalid psychiatric concept exploited in legal defenses of wealthy lady shoplifters.
Symptoms
Signs of Kleptomania are often misunderstood and termed as common theft, though people with Kleptomania have an irresistible impulse to possess things that are not theirs in a manner similar to petty stealing, but without prior plans or expectation. Most times they end up discarding the stolen goods, as they are mostly interested in the act of stealing and not the goods stolen.
Known signs of Kleptomania include:
Tension build up right before theft is carried out.
Feeling of relief and fulfillment as theft is being carried out.
Thefts are not committed in response to delusions, hallucinations or expressions of revenge or anger.
Thefts cannot be justified by Antisocial Personal Disorder, Conduct Disorder or a Manic Episode.
Dominant and reoccurring failure to resist stealing impulses.
There is no specific age at which the disorder begins to manifest in people. It can begin at childhood, adolescence, or adulthood and in some very rare cases, late adulthood.
Diagnosis
If said symptoms are evident in an individual, the doctor would evaluate by performing a complete medical history and physical examination on the individual. Regular tests like blood tests or X-ray are not required to diagnose Kleptomania. Although physical tests might be carried out to rule out any believed physical cause for the condition, such as brain disorder or head injury.
Diagnosing Kleptomania is usually difficult, because patients do not usually seek help for the major reason, which is theft because of shame, and initial psychological assessments may not detect it. The disorder is often diagnosed when patients seek help for other reasons, such as bulimia, labile (emotional instability), dysphoric or depression. Initial psychology may detect issues that have to do with poor upbringing or childhood crises, such as poor parenting, child abuse or molestation, relationship conflicts, abrupt occurrences that cause stress. The recurrent act of stealing may be restricted to specific objects and settings, although the patients may or may not describe these preferences.
Treatments
The treatment of Kleptomania consists of pharmacological and psychotherapy approach.
Psychotherapy Treatment
For Psycho-therapeutic treatment of Kleptomania, the best system that can be employed is the cognitive behavioral therapy. This therapy helps individuals to identify their unhealthy behaviors and negative beliefs and helps them to replace them with healthy ones. The following treatment approaches have been employed in treating Kleptomania:
Aversion therapy - this involves mild painful techniques such as holding breath to the point of discomfort once there is an urge to steal
Systemic desensitization- involves relaxation techniques which are practiced including picturing one’ self being able to control their urges to steal.
Covert sensitization - involves one picturing themselves stealing and the negative consequences of their action.
Other forms of psychotherapy treatment include family therapy, marriage counseling, and psycho-dynamic therapy.
Pharmacological Treatment
The choice of medication for the treatment of kleptomania will depend on the overall condition of the patient, such as the occurrence of co-morbid disorders like obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression. Sometimes, kleptomaniacs can benefit from the use of a combination of drugs prescribed by mental health professionals. The groups of these drugs prescribed for kleptomania include:
Antidepressants
The choice of drugs used to treat kleptomania under this category is selected serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
Drugs of this group that are effective with kleptomania include paroxetine, fluoxetine and fluvoxamine.
2. Mood stabilizers
- These are medications that can pacify the moods of the patient that prevents mood factors from triggering the urge to steal.
- A useful drug in this group is lithium such as Eskalith and Lithobid.
3. Benzodiazepines
- This group of drugs is also known as tranquilizers. Its use should be closely monitored since it can encourage physical or mental dependence if taken for a long period of time
4. Addiction medications
- The specific drug of this group is the only trial medication for kleptomania, Naltrexone, which showed significant reduction on the intensity of the urge to steal, the stealing b behavior, and the stealing thoughts.
Unclassified Treatments
Other forms of treatment include:
Treatment for Kleptomaniac Children
Kleptomania is a very disturbing disorder, especially in children whose psychological condition acn get them in trouble for doing acts that are considered criminal for which the society would readily condemn them as criminals. Obtaining quick treatment for kleptomania in children is usually a major concern among parents whose parental guidance is very significant in guiding Kleptomaniac children deal with their psychological condition.
The use of antidepressant medications are usually the first treatment option for children with Kleptomania. This helps to control the impulsivity and mental distress associated with trying to control the impulse to steal. Apart from the pharmacological intervention, children can also benefit from a behavioral therapy program that uses the consequences of stealing as part of the treatment approach. An example of consequences used in behavioral therapy are simple measures of withdrawing privileges and in extreme cases exposing the child to arrest and detention from a juvenile facility. A better outcome is usually obtained when the combination treatment of medication and cognitive behavioral therapy when treating children with Kleptomania.