Kleptopmania: definition, symptoms, causes

Definition

What is Kleptomania?

Kleptomania or klepto is a condition of behavior disorder that involves stealing or shoplifting. This condition can recur and the person often has difficulty resisting the urge to steal things.

generally the items that are stolen are things he does not need and are useless. Some people with this condition are even well-off economies. Kleptomania is a serious mental health disorder that can cause deep emotional pain for you and those of you who are close to you if left untreated.

Who can get this condition?

Kleptomania can happen to anyone. Compared to men, women are more likely to experience this recurrence condition. Stealing is an act that is included in a criminal crime

People with this disorder may be exposed to legal issues such as arrest, trial, and detention as a result of their symptoms of kleptomania.

According to a study of patients who have kleptomania, more than 68 percent of people with the disorder have been arrested for stealing. Meanwhile, more than 20 percent of Klepto people have been convicted and jailed.

Signs & symptoms

What are the symptoms of kleptomania?

There are several dominant symptoms of kleptomania, as follows:

1. It's hard to hold back the feeling of wanting to steal

One of the symptoms that people with this condition can have is that it is difficult for them to resist the urge to steal. They realize that stealing is wrong, but the feeling of stealing someone Klepto is very strong. As a result, people with this condition often ignore their common sense, and still choose to steal.

2. After stealing, they are satisfied

People with this behavior disorder condition often feel anxious, anxious, and uneasy if they don't steal. To get rid of this feeling of uneasiness, they inevitably steal to release their anxiety.

3. Spontaneously steal

In contrast to thieves who generally plan something when stealing. Kleptomania will generally carry out acts of theft spontaneously, just happen. This is because the urge to steal and the anxiety that can arise at any time.

4. Frequent relapses

In addition to causing anxiety, anxiety, and spontaneous stealing, people with this condition generally experience a relapse. This recurrence episode can occur at any time.

Other symptoms:

• Feeling stressed, anxious, or aroused that can only be overcome by stealing
• Feeling guilty, regretful, self-hating, ashamed, or afraid of being caught after stealing
• Not as an act of revenge or attention seeking
• After that, however, the urge to steal resurfaced and the klepto cycle recurred

Are there characteristics for recognizing a person with kleptomania?

The answer is, yes. People with kleptomania generally exhibit the following traits or characteristics:

• Unlike the usual shoplifters, people with kleptomania do not constantly steal for personal gain, because they are reckless or rebellious. They steal only because their desire is so strong that they cannot bear it.
• Kleptomania episodes generally occur spontaneously, usually without the help or cooperation of others.
• Most people who experience this disorder will steal from public places, such as shops and supermarkets. Some might steal from friends or acquaintances, like at parties.
• Often times, the stolen item is worthless to the person with kleptomania, and the person can afford it.
• Stolen goods are usually stored, never used. Items may also be donated, given to family or friends, or even secretly returned to the place where they were stolen.
• The urge to steal may come and go or it may appear with more or less intensity over time.

When to go to the doctor

If you have any of the symptoms or features listed above you should seek medical advice. Getting treatment might help you get this condition under control.

Many kleptomania sufferers refuse to seek treatment because they fear arrest or imprisonment. However, mental health providers do not usually report your theft to the authorities. Always discuss with your doctor to find the best situation for your situation.

Cause

What causes kleptomania?

The cause of kleptomania is unknown. Some doctors view kleptomania as part of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The reason is, for doctors, klepto behavior can be interpreted as instructions that the patient mentally unwanted.

In addition, there is also other evidence that tends to suggest that people with Klepto disorder are affected by mood disorders such as depression. Another theory suggests that changes in the brain may be the cause of this condition. Here's the guess:

1. Problems with serotonin in the brain

Serotonin is a natural chemical that is produced by the body. Serotonin is made of amino acids and these substances can be found in the brain, digestive system and human platelets.

The function of this substance is also important for regulating mood and emotions.

Well, sometimes low levels of serotonin can make a person behave impulsively.

Researchers concluded that people with klepto have disturbances in the serotonin in the brain. This is reinforced by mood swings to act stealing aka klepto without thinking about the risks.

2. The opioids in the brain are out of balance

Use of drugs, marijuana, and other illegal drugs can make opioids in the brain not in normal amounts. Many people are addicted to these forbidden things.

The effect of opioids on the brain that is not balanced is that it can cause addictive disorders in a person. This distraction can be in the form of difficulty in keeping yourself from doing something, one of which is stealing.

Risk factors

What increases the risk of kleptomania?

Kleptomania is considered not something that commonly happens. Some people don't even realize that they have this condition until someone else who sees it steals it.

However, because many people with this disorder never seek treatment or because they fear being in prison after stealing, many cases of kleptomania are never diagnosed.

The condition of people with shoplifting or stealing disorders often starts in adolescence. However, in rare cases it starts at an older adult stage.

Some of the risk factors that could be the cause may include:

• Family history. Having a family, such as parents or siblings, with kleptomania, can increase this risk.
• Additionally, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or substance or alcohol abuse problems, might increase the risk of klepto
• About two-thirds of people with Klepto disorder are women.
• Have other mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, substance use problems or personality disorders.
• Have had head trauma or brain injury.

Complications

What are the risks of complications from kleptomania?

Left untreated, this disorder can lead to emotional, family, work, legal and financial problems. In addition, legal risks can also befall people with this disorder, for example being arrested and detained in prison.

People with kleptomania may feel embarrassed after being caught stealing. This shame can cause them to spend a lot of time alone and avoid interacting socially

In addition, they may also have difficulty maintaining friendly relationships or friendships with other people because of their behavior. This is because of the effect of stealing which makes the people around you do not believe, do not understand, and the perpetrator cannot stop the disturbance.

Other complications and conditions associated with klepto behavior may include:

• The onset of other impulse control disorders, such as compulsive gambling or shopping
• The presence of alcoholism and substance abuse
• Have a personality disorder
• Having an eating disorder
• Have depression
• Bipolar disorder
• Anxiety
• Suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide and suicide

Diagnosis

How do doctors diagnose kleptomania?

When you decide to seek treatment for the symptoms of klepto, you may take a physical and psychological assessment by your doctor. Later, the results of the physical examination can determine if there is a possible medical cause that triggered the symptoms.

Many experts use pad criteriaa Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-5, published by the American Psychiatric Association, for diagnosing psychiatric conditions.

The following are the DSM-5 criteria that can determine the characteristics of kleptomania in a patient with a suspected diagnosis:

• You cannot resist the recurring urge to steal things that are not needed for your personal needs or monetary value
• You get tense immediately before stealing
• You feel happy, eased or satisfied while you steal
• Theft is not done as a way of revenge or to express anger and is not done when hallucinating or delusional
• This theft can be a branch of episodes of manic bipolar disorder or antisocial personality disorder

Drugs & Medicines

The information described is not a substitute for medical advice. ALWAYS consult your doctor.

Several ways to treat kleptomania

Kleptomania is difficult to overcome on your own. Without treatment from a doctor or therapist, people who experience this disorder can become sustainable in the long term.

Treatment of kleptomania generally involves medication and psychotherapy, sometimes together with a self-help group. However, there is no standardized treatment for kleptomania, and researchers are still trying to understand what works best. You may have to try several different types of medication to find something that works for you.

With drugs

There is no specific medicine that can directly cure this mental disorder. However, at your doctor's care, you will be prescribed some of the following medications to prevent symptoms of impulsive behavior from occurring:

1. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor type antidepressants such as Fluoxetine (Prozac), Fluvoxamine (Luvox), Paroxetine (Paxil), and Sertraline (Zoloft). Later this drug can be used if you have symptoms of depression that have an effect on impulsive behavior.
2. Addiction medications that doctors and psychotherapists can prescribe are naltrexone and opioid antagonists. These drugs are useful for reducing urges and reducing pleasure when stealing

With therapy

The therapy used for people with kleptomania is cognitive therapy. Cognitive therapy will help you reduce thoughts of stealing or shoplifting. In addition, this therapy can also help patients to recognize their desire to steal. You are also trained to do other, more positive things when the urge to steal occurs.

There are several techniques you can do:

1.Covert sensitization

This is a technique where you imagine yourself to the bad thing that happened to you after being caught stealing. One of them is like being in prison or being injured because of being beaten by a mob.

2. Aversion therapy

This technique is done by holding your breath when there is a desire and urge to shoplift. Patients are also trained to be able to prevent the trigger to steal from arising. For example, preventing feelings of depression, sadness, or too much pleasure.

3. Systematic desensitization

This is a relaxation technique for controlling the urge to steal by inhibiting the desire to steal from a kleptomania patient.

Support and help from local people

Apart from therapy and medications, support from family or people who care about your condition can also help. It is recommended to seek treatment or undergo therapy in the company of a family. The therapist or doctor will later explain to your companion about your condition and how to deal with it if at any time you have a relapse.

It is important to know that your doctor and therapist will keep your personal identity confidential. There will be no reports of theft if you want to recover.

Home remedies

How to live with the condition kleptomania?

You can take care of yourself with your ability coping (facing problems) in a healthy manner. So it is important for you to intend and undergo consultation and treatment at a doctor. Here's what you can do:

• Follow a treatment plan. Take medication as directed and attend scheduled therapy sessions.
• Arm yourself with information Learn about kleptomania so you can better understand risk factors, medications, and trigger events.
• Find what drives you. Identify situations, thoughts, and feelings that might trigger the urge to steal so that you can take steps to overcome them.
• Get treatment for substance abuse or other mental health problems.
• Find healthy solutions. Explore healthy ways to resist the urge to steal or shoplift through sports and recreational activities.
• Learn relaxation and stress management. Try stress reduction techniques such as meditation, yoga or tai chi.
• Stay focused on your treatment goals.

How to support those closest to you

If your loved ones are undergoing therapy and medication for kleptomania, make sure you understand the details of their treatment plan and actively support their recovery.

It may be helpful to attend one or more therapy sessions with the person trying to recover. You will also understand the factors that trigger the patient's desire to steal and the most effective ways to deal with it.

How to prevent kleptomania

Since the cause of this condition is not clear, it is not certain how to prevent it. Getting treatment as soon as compulsive theft begins can prevent your shoplifting from getting worse and prevent some negative consequences.

If you have any questions, consult your doctor to better understand the best solution for you.

Hello Health Group does not provide health advice, diagnosis or treatment.