People who have kleptomania tend to steal things that they can afford and that have little or no apparent value to them. Often they do not use the items and end up hiding them, giving them away, or donating them. Sometimes a person who has kleptomania will even secretly return stolen items. People who have kleptomania also do not steal because of hallucinations or delusions or out of anger or revenge. To an outsider, the act seems spontaneous and random.
Does the person you know steal from stores, supermarkets, and other public places? This is usually how people who have kleptomania work. More rarely, some also steal from relatives and close friends. Does the person you know plan thefts in advance? A person who has kleptomania usually doesn’t plan to steal. The thefts are spur-of-the-moment and not done with prior planning or with help from another person.
People who have kleptomania describe their urge to steal as wrong, out of character, or uncontrollable. Many also report problems at work or with relationships, being so preoccupied with urges to steal that they find it hard to concentrate at work or at home. In the time leading up to and during a theft, a person who has kleptomania may feel pleasure, excitement, or relief. After, however, many report guilt, remorse, and shame and have a fear of being arrested. Eventually, the cycle will repeat itself and the sufferer will again feel an impulse to steal.
Having a family history means that one of your relatives in the first degree had the problem, i. e. someone in your immediate family like a mother, father, brother, or sister. If undiagnosed, it may be hard to determine whether a family member has kleptomania. People who have kleptomania rarely seek treatment and may end up in and out of jail. Their families may assume that they are criminals rather than people with a mental disorder.
Men with kleptomania seem more likely to have a history of birth trauma and are less likely to suffer from other mental issues like eating disorders or bipolar disorder. Some people have suggested that these differences are exaggerated, though, and that the percentage of men who have kleptomania is higher. The difference may be that men are more likely to be sent to prison and less likely to be referred to treatment.
Kleptomania as a disorder seems associated with mood and anxiety disorders, meaning it appears at higher rates in people with issues like major depression, bipolar disorder, mania, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Kleptomania is also associated with addictive behavior and substance abuse, like being addicted to alcohol, drugs, or nicotine, and appears more frequently in people with impulse control problems. The latter often occurs in people with head injuries or brain trauma. Kleptomania may occur along with (or lead to) other mental problems like depression, compulsive gambling or shopping, anxiety, and eating disorders.
Talk to a psychologist, psychiatrist, or therapist for help and advice. Or, discuss the problem with a general practitioner and ask for help or a referral. If the person is a loved one, encourage him or her to get help. Explain that you are concerned for the loved one’s well-being and that there are effective ways to treat kleptomania. Be clear that you understand they cannot resist through willpower alone.
The doctor may ask about what sort of situations trigger episodes or review a list of situations to see whether they lead to an impulse to steal. The doctor may also ask about the impulses themselves and how they make the patient feel. There might be more detailed psychological questionnaires, too.
The person has a “recurrent” inability to resist the urge to steal things, which aren’t needed for personal use or for monetary gain. The same person experiences feelings of increasing tension immediately before a theft. They also feel pleasure, gratification, or relief after the theft. The person doesn’t steal for revenge or out of anger or as a result of a hallucination or delusion. Finally, the behavior can’t be explained by some other mental condition like a conduct disorder, manic episode, or an antisocial personality disorder.
If you think you may have kleptomania, then share your suspicions with your doctor and/or therapist.
