Kleptomania

Keenan Ricker

Kleptomania

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUuNv3W_bKU

• Classified as an impulse control disorder in the DSM IV

• Kleptomania is the irresistible urge to steal items that you generally have little value to you.

Causes

• Unkown • May be linked to problems with the brain

chemical serotonin.• Serotonin helps regulate moods and emotions.

Low levels of serotonin are common in people prone to impulsive behaviors.

Symtoms

• Powerful urges to steal items that are not needed • Feelings of increased tension leading up to the

theft • Pleasure or Gratification during the act of

stealing

Spontaneous occurrences

• Episodes of Kleptomania generally occur spontaneously without planning.

• Most Kleptomaniacs steal from public places such as stores and supermarkets. Few often steal from friends or acquaintances.

• Stolen items usually stashed away never to be used or secretly returned to the place from where they were stolen.

Coping and Support

• Stick to treatment plan • Educate yourself • Discover what drives you • Find healthy outlets• Learn relation and stress management

When to get help?

• Noticing you can not resist the urge to shoplift or steal.

• Many people with kleptomania do not seek treatment because they are afraid they’ll be arrested

• Keep in mind kleptomania is a mental health condition not a character flaw.

Risk Factors

• Family history

Having a relative with kleptomania may increase your risk. • Common in Women

Approximately 2/3 of kleptomaniacs are Women.• Having another mental illness

Large amount of patients with kleptomania have other illnesses, such as bipolar disorder and anxiety disorder.

Case study 1

• Winona Ryder Battles anxiety and depression

Caught stealing $5000 worth of merchandise

She put holes in the dresses she was stealing, had no intention on ever wearing items or reselling them

Since 2002 has been caught shoplifting on the other occasions

Was placed on probation for 3 years.

Is now a spokesperson for Kleptomania awareness.

Case study 2

• Terrence Shulman Recovering kleptomaniac

Stole more 1000 times

Has since recovered and published a book on the awareness of theft addiction

Has become a therapist specializing in the treatment of theft compulsion

Founded the The Shulman Center for Compulsive Theft, Spending & Hoarding

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBynYcy4KPY

Citations

• Mayo Clinic Staff.• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/kleptomania/DS01034• Freudirich.Craig.

http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/mental-disorders/kleptomania.htm• Kau-Ni.

http://www.minddisorders.com/Kau-Nu/Kleptomania.html

• Shulman Center

http://www.kleptomaniacsanonymous.com/kleptomania.htm