THESIS
Commonly found more in women than men, Kleptomania is characterized as an impulse control disorder in which people cannot fight the urge to steal and can be argued that it is positively correlated with theft. Given the parallels in symptom presentation and treatment response, kleptomania has been conceptualized both as a ‘‘obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder’’ and as an impulse control disorder (Grant & Potenza, 2006). Some symptoms include failure to resist impulses to steal items that are unrelated to personal use or financial gain, increased tension right before the theft occurs, and feeling pleasure, gratification, and relief during the theft.
KLEPTOMANIA AND THEFT – INTRO
Derived from the Greek words kleptein and mania, kleptomania translates to steal and insanity. Relatively rare, kleptomania affects 0.3-0.6 percent of the general population. Different from shoplifting, kleptomania is not planned out or done for personal gain and after being taken; the goods are given away, thrown out, or hoarded. Evidence has linked kleptomania to neurotransmitters that are associated with behavioral addictions. It is often found that people who have kleptomania can comorbid with depression and bipolar disorder, substance abuse disorders, anxiety disorders, and other impulse-control disorders. Jon E. Grant and Marc. N Potenza found that drug and alcohol abuse, along with depressive, bipolar spectrum, psychotic, anxiety disorder were all determined to be present in patients who suffered from kleptomania (Burn, 2013). They also found that females tend to steal items from public places such as grocery stores and clothing stores, and that both male and females stole from family, the homes of their friends and work which were places they spent most of their time and were comfortable being in.
Kleptomania can begin in childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and late adulthood which is rare. Affecting more men than women, the objects stolen are not needed. Research conducted by Sarasalo et al., confirmed the presence of depression stemming from family issues as well as the subjects being addicted to shopping. Kleptomania can also be a result of emotional stress or trauma during the childhood or youth, and s shoplifting is a way to make up for the loss in their life. They normally feel that they were deprived unfairly in some form or another. If vengeance or psychosis were the result of the theft, the person would not be diagnosed with kleptomania. As one begins to age, the desire to steal may decrease but if left untreated, room is left for kleptomania to ruin a person’s life due to severe legal consequences associated with theft.
TRAIT 1 – FAILURE TO RESIST IMPULSES
Kleptomania falls under the umbrella of impulse control disorders. Impulsive behavior is advantageous in situations where it is imperative to respond quickly when unexpected opportunities present themselves. Impulsive behavior is multifaceted starting from neural circuits and genes, which then affects motor inhibition, and decision making that leads to impulsive actions. Researchers in this tradition typically define impulses broadly as any thought, feeling, or behavior activated in response to a salient temptation that promotes securing and indulging in that temptation (Fujita, 2011). Difficulty dealing with emotional distress and alcohol consumption has shown to be linked to impulse control. Common features associated with impulse control disorders are repetitive or compulsive engagement in a behavior despite adverse consequences; diminished control over the problematic behavior; an appetitive urge or craving state prior to engagement in the problematic behavior; and a hedonic quality during the performance of the problematic behavior (Grant and Potenza, 2004; Schreiber et al., 2011). These features have led to a description of ICDs as “behavioral addictions” (Holden, 2010; Schreiber et al. 2011). Neurotransmitter pathways in the brain that are associated with behavioral addictions, serotonin, dopamine, and opioid systems have been linked to kleptomania. Being able to resist impulses and display self control goes beyond cognitive capacity and also requires a lot of energy. Some clinicians have described the impulse to steal as an alien, unwanted intrusion into their mental state (Christianini et al., 2015). The impulsivity associated with kleptomania is so strong that theft is repeated despite continuous efforts to stop.
People with kleptomania do not steal for personal gain or as an act of anger and vengeance. Most times the items they steal are hoarded, thrown away, or surprisingly returned. Although they know what they are doing is wrong, they cannot stop. Individuals suffering from impulse control disorders may want to gain control over their emotions and behaviors, but it is often difficult and almost impossible being that the urges to participate these behaviors can be overwhelming and very consuming. Dissociation and de-realization have also been found to accompany impulsive behavior in some people, which means they are more likely to have a hard time implementing self-control when needed. A study was conducted and 11 patients with kleptomania were compared who suffer from alcoholism and non-psychotic psychiatric patients. Results showed that those with kleptomania have significantly higher rates of impulsivity compared to both groups and they also showed higher rates of substance abuse as well as mood disorders (Talih, 2011).
Literature also shows that there is a positive correlation between major head trauma in those who suffer from impulse control disorders. Like most mental health disorders, genetics seems to have a positive correlation with impulse control disorders. Studies show that children and adolescents who have family members who suffer fro, mood disorders are more likely to develop symptoms of impulse control disorders. Environmental factors can also play a role in individuals displaying impulse control. Children exposed to verbal, emotional, and physical abuse, violence, and explosive emotional responses to certain situations in their families are at a higher risk of being diagnosed with an impulse control disorder. Although they know stealing is a crime, kleptomaniacs have a very hard time fighting the urge to steal. The thought of the act and satisfaction gained from stealing takes them over mentally as well as physically. There is an increase of arousal and tension right before the act, which I will now discuss.
TRAIT 2: INCREASED TENSION BEFORE THEFT
The increased tension prior to the theft is a cause of anxiety. As I previously mentioned, a person with Kleptomania usually suffers from other mental illnesses including anxiety, depression, bi-polar disorder, and etcetera so some of the symptoms associated with the disorder will be present. Tension is experienced before the act and in an attempt to resist the impulse. Both the urge and the behavior are experienced as ego-alien, non-comprehensible, wrong and in dissonance with the basic personality of the perpetrator (Fujita, 2011). The urge to steal is so strong that despite the known repercussions, in that instance the only way to feel better is to complete the act completely disregarding possible punishment. Kleptomania is impulsive and repetitive which is one of the reasons it can be considered a form of OCD. This struggle to ignore the drive is what creates tension. People pay little attention to hiding the theft because they are more focused on releasing the tension that has been built up right before stealing. Some authors contend that Kleptomania and other impulse-control disorders may have something in common with fetishistic behaviors and that fetishism may be the basis of kleptomania (Öncü et al., 2009 & Burn, 2013).
Psychoanalysts have interpreted kleptomania as an unconscious ego defense against anxiety, forbidden instincts or wishes, unresolved conflicts or prohibited sexual drives, and sexual gratification during the act. Symbolic meaning has been attributed to the act itself, the object stolen, and the victim of the theft. Some researchers posit that kleptomania is a delinquent expression of a neurotic nature with which stealing has been considered a symbol of sexual impulse or a substitution for masturbation. Öncü et al., (2009) state that many young patients with kleptomania have stolen women’s underwear, and stressed that they ecstasy and urge as felt while stealing a fetish object contribute to sexual arousal and orgasm; a condition which is also observed in individuals with other fetishistic behaviors (Burns, 2013). This may be in reference to male offenders, which can lead us to believe the theft is a result of fulfilling a form of sexual gratification. Most of the literature on kleptomania focuses on its relationship to anxiety, depression or sexual disturbances (Goldman, 1991; Burns, 2013). Individuals with kleptomania tend to be depressed and socially isolated (Goldman, 1991). This behavior is different, says Goldman (1991) from those individual who steal with the intention to make profit (Burns, 2013).