Introduction

Kleptomania is a disorder where a person has an uncontrollable urge to steal things that they do not need.¹ It is considered an impulse control disorder,² where a person may act spontaneously without planning or thinking things through.³

People with kleptomania understand that they should not steal, and that they could face consequences for stealing.⁴ But the need to steal is so strong that they cannot stop themselves from taking things.¹ They often feel very guilty and remorseful for the things their disorder made them do,² though they may feel a rewarded sensation when they take things that do not belong to them.¹ 

Some people with kleptomania will go back afterwards and pay for the things they were compelled to take, or donate them to charity, to try and make up for their actions.⁴

Who is at risk of kleptomania?

People assigned female at birth are three times more likely to develop kleptomania than those assigned male at birth.²

It usually occurs in the teenage years or early twenties.² It normally takes a long time for someone to seek help for kleptomania due to the shame they feel.² Most people assigned female at birth do not approach their medical practitioners for help until they are in their thirties, and people assigned male at birth usually wait until their fifties to get help.² When someone does ask for help, it is usually because they have no other choice due to something like being arrested or being confronted by friends or family.² People assigned male at birth are more likely to go to jail than to go to a medical professional for help.²

If someone with kleptomania has other impulse disorders, like obsessive-compulsive disorder and anorexia nervosa, their kleptomania is more likely to be severe than someone who only has kleptomania.² 

It is a rare disorder, with only an estimated three to six people out of one thousand affected in America.⁴ Only four to five people out of a hundred who are arrested for shoplifting have kleptomania.⁴

However, some medical professionals think that it may be more common than the data suggests.² This is because the shame that people feel about their kleptomania may stop them from telling their doctors their problems.² 

What causes kleptomania?

The cause of kleptomania is not known for certain.⁴ Researchers have found some things that may be linked to kleptomania becoming a problem.⁴ These include:

• Other mental health conditions.⁴ If someone has trouble with their mental health, for example, an addiction, anxiety, eating disorders or depression, they are more likely to have kleptomania⁴
• Differences to the brain structure.⁴ The brain has an area that is dedicated to controlling a person’s impulses.⁴ If this part of the brain is not structured in the usual way, the person may struggle to control their spontaneous behaviour.⁴ These changes to the brain structure may be caused by trauma, or from injury due to a problem like dementia or epilepsy⁵
• Medications.⁴ Your brain uses certain chemicals to affect your mood.⁴ Some people have gone on to develop kleptomania after taking these medications⁴ 
• Family history of mental health problems.² People with kleptomania are more likely to have an immediate family member with mental health issues, for example obsessive obsessive-compulsive disorder or addiction.² This suggests that there may be a link between family history of mental health disorders and kleptomania.² 
• Childhood problems.⁵ If someone has a lot of trauma during their childhood, they are more likely to have kleptomania⁵

Triggers of kleptomania

If someone has kleptomania, their mood can affect the compulsion to steal. This section will discuss the possible triggers that may affect someone with kleptomania.

Stress

If someone has kleptomania, then there is evidence to suggest that they may have worsening symptoms, e.g., more impulses to steal and stealing more frequently, during times when they are feeling stressed.⁵

Emotional distress

If someone has a period where they are in emotional distress, for example, from eating disorders or other mental health issues, or from other outside factors, then some research shows that the rate of stealing or the need to steal will increase.⁵

Environmental influences

Some clinical studies have found that a person’s environment can affect their likelihood of developing kleptomania.⁶ For example, some evidence suggests that having weaker bonds with parents may increase the chances of a person getting kleptomania and therefore, having these sorts of feelings pop up again due to problems later in life may worsen kleptomania symptoms.⁶ 

Diagnosis of kleptomania

For someone to be diagnosed as having kleptomania, some things must apply to them.⁵ These are listed below.

• The stealing cannot be explained by another mental health problem, for example, antisocial behaviour or a manic episode⁵
• The person must have failed several times to resist stealing something that they did not need⁵
• A feeling of tension that gradually gets bigger as they get ready to steal something⁵
• The stealing is not due to a need for revenge, or due to confusion of reality (e.g., hallucinations or delusions)⁵
• Feeling relieved while stealing or immediately after stealing⁵

The diagnosis will be made by your doctor or a medical health professional.¹ 

Treatments for kleptomania

There are two main treatments currently used for kleptomania. These will be discussed in this section.

Medicines

Some medicines are effective in helping people manage their kleptomania symptoms.⁵ 

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are a class of drugs that are usually used to treat depression.⁷ It helps by increasing the amount of serotonin (a chemical that helps you maintain a good mood) in the brain.⁷ Some people find that these drugs help them with their kleptomania.⁵

Naltrexone

Naltrexone is a drug that is used to help people with addictions, for example, to opiate drugs or alcohol.⁸ It has also been found to help people with kleptomania control their symptoms.⁵

Topiramate

Topiramate is used in people with epilepsy and migraines.⁹ It can help these disorders by bringing the brain’s electrical activity back to normal by reducing electrical bursts.⁹ It has also been helpful to some people with kleptomania as they try to reduce their symptoms.⁵

Lithium

If someone has trouble with mood disorders, their health team may prescribe lithium as it helps to keep their mood stable.¹⁰ It has also been found to improve kleptomania symptoms in some cases.⁵

Sodium Valproate

Sodium Valproate is taken by people who need help managing epilepsy, bipolar disorder or sometimes migraines.¹¹ In some people with kleptomania, there is evidence that it can help them control their disorder.⁵

Trazodone

This drug increases the amount of serotonin and noradrenaline (another drug that helps your brain control your mood) to help with depression.¹² In some cases, it may help a person struggling with kleptomania to control their symptoms.⁵

Therapy

Some people find that therapy helps them with their kleptomania.⁴ Therapy can take many forms, some of which are listed below.

Cognitive behavioural therapy

This kind of therapy involves examining the problems that a person has and coming up with healthier ways to cope with these problems.¹³ This may be done with a therapist or with a workbook that will take you through the procedure step-by-step.¹³ This has been shown to help some people with kleptomania.⁴ 

Group therapy

During group therapy, a small number of people who have the same problem will meet and talk about the problems they have.¹⁴ This helps people to access support and advice from people who know what they are going through.¹⁴ Some people with kleptomania have found this to help manage their symptoms.⁴

Future with kleptomania

Kleptomania does not usually go away once someone has developed it.⁴ However, as can be seen above, there are many treatment options and support systems that can help someone to control it.⁴

Summary

Kleptomania is a mental health problem that can cause many problems for someone who suffers from it. More research is needed to better understand the causes and possible treatments of kleptomania.