Kleptomania
Kleptomania
Introduction:
Kleptomania is a mental disorder in which the infected person has the impulse to steal objects that have little or no known value to them. The kleptomaniac could easily purchase the item that was stolen, but research has shown that most do it for the adrenaline rush experienced from stealing. Kleptomania has no treatment. People diagnosed with the disorder are advocated to go through psychotherapy or take an anti-depressant medication. As knowledge of kleptomania grows, society has grown more readily to accept it and many more theories about the cause of the disorder have emerged (MJ Goldman, Harvard Medical School).
General Information:
Kleptomania is not classified as shoplifting. Those who experience kleptomaniac symptoms often steal for the rush and not the need. "One theory proposes that the thrill of stealing helps to alleviate symptoms in persons who are clinically depressed" (Gale, Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders). Another theory is that items are stolen to "release tension that has been building in them" (www.mental-health-matters.com). Since the kleptomaniac ultimately feels guilty for steeling, objects stolen are usually returned, thrown away, hidden, or given away to others as gifts.
When a kleptomaniac is found guilty of shoplifting, the United States and the United Kingdom court systems do not consider the illness of kleptomania as a valid mental disorder. Those who are caught stealing have to face the consequences that come along with shoplifting just like the person who steals and does not have the disorder. "The kind of theft that attracts people with kleptomania is known legally as larceny. Larcenies are thefts that do not involve violence, personal robbery or burglary" (Clarke, irishhealth.com). Those who do get caught usually pay the fines as quickly as possible to try and hide their disorder from the public (Clarke).
The average diagnosed kleptomaniac is...
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