KLEPTOMANIA INVOLUNTARY STEELING DISORDER
S. D. Rihana*, T. Sandeep, Ch. Sharmi Prakash, G. Naveen, B. Bala Naganna
ABSTRACT
Kleptomania is an enigmatic pathological condition in which crime
(theft) forms a part of its diagnostic criteria. Not surprisingly, it is
commonly used by the defence counsel for mitigation of theft and
related offenses, especially for repeat theft offenders. Kleptomania is
described in both the medical and legal literature for centuries, dating
back to the early 19th century when the Swiss physician Mathey who
worked with the “insane” wrote of “an uncommon madness
characterized by the aptitude to steal without motive and without
necessity. This article reviews the literature for what is known about
the clinical characteristics, family history, neurobiology, and treatment options for a person(s)
with kleptomania. Like other impulse control disorders, kleptomania is characterized by an
anxiety-driven to perform an act that is pleasurable at the moment but causes identifiable
distress and dysfunction. Careful attention should be given to distinguishing kleptomania
from an antisocial personality disorder. Unlike the later disorder, kleptomania is identified by
the presence of guilt and remorse and the lack of theft motives such as monetary gain,
personal use, stealing to impress someone, or stealing to support a drug habit. Here, we
describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of 40 subjects meeting DSM-IV criteria
for kleptomania. We conclude with advice for treatment options derived from the scant
literature available.
Keywords: .
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