Kleptomania: Symptoms, Causes, & Treatments

What Is a Kleptomaniac?

A kleptomaniac describes a person who steals for no reason (or a reason otherwise socially inappropriate). That said, many factors influence why people steal, and kleptomania refers to a specific impulse control disorder and intense urges to shoplift or take items of little value.

Kleptomania in Children Vs. Adults

Lying and stealing behaviors in adults can start in childhood. For instance, young children may take home items from school or the houses of family members and friends. They know these things are not theirs but will often continue stealing, even after others catch or reprimand them. Adults may steal more expensive items, and they tend to be highly secretive about their habits.

How Common Is Kleptomania?

Kleptomania is a rare mental health disorder with a prevalence rate of 0.6% or lower in the United States. According to research, women are more likely than men to have the condition at a rate of three to one.

Unfortunately, kleptomania can have severe implications, accounting for at least 100,000 arrests annually. Those with the condition also experience mental health struggles, and nearly 20% may consider or attempt suicide due to their distress.^1,2,3

Signs of Kleptomania

The most prevalent and obvious sign of kleptomania is the repetitive and uncontrollable need to steal items. A person with kleptomania will continue stealing despite warnings, negative repercussions, and threats.^1,4

Determining how to spot a kleptomaniac may be challenging as behaviors manifest differently from person to person. However, someone who steals without reason from stores, family members, neighbors, and any other location may struggle with the condition. Often, the person will experience powerful urges to steal because they cannot stop the unwanted behavior.⁴

Signs of kleptomania may include:

• Returning, stowing away, or donating stolen items
• Never using stolen items
• Lack of value associated with stolen items
• Unplanned episodes of kleptomania
• Strong urges to steal unnecessary items
• Feeling guilt or shame about the behavior

Kleptomania Symptoms

Kleptomaniacs do not experience a thrill or high from stealing. They consciously recognize their behavior as wrong, pointless, and illegal but cannot resist the urge. As stress and tension grow, they see stealing as the only reasonable option to control the problem.¹

Still, this sense of relief and gratification is short-lived and quickly replaced by guilt, shame, and depression. Many kleptomaniacs fear repercussions for the theft and arrest.¹

The symptoms of kleptomania include:¹

• Recurrent or repetitive inabilities to resist the urge to steal objects.
• Stolen items are unnecessary for personal use or monetary value.
• A growing feeling of stress or tension experienced directly before the theft
• A powerful sense of pleasure, relaxation, gratification, or relief after stealing
• Theft is not to convey anger or a reaction to psychotic symptoms, like delusional thoughts or hallucinations
• Other mental health conditions, like conduct disorder, mania, or antisocial personality disorder, do not explain the stealing

What Causes Kleptomania?

Simply asking, “Why do people steal?” is not enough because the psychological reasons are multifaceted and complex. For this reason, mental health experts believe many elements contribute to kleptomania. They generally examine clusters of risk factors that may increase the likelihood of developing this impulse disorder.

Possible causes of kleptomania include:⁵

• Low serotonin levels: Serotonin is a chemical messenger in the brain associated with mood, sleeping, and digestion. People with poor impulse control often have lower serotonin levels in the brain.
• Addictions: Researchers speculate that stealing triggers an effect similar to substance use. People seek the positive feelings linked to dopamine, leading to further kleptomaniac behavior.
• Imbalance in the opioid system: This brain system requires equilibrium to maintain balance and control urges. Imbalances can result in the hallmark compulsion to steal.
• Family history of mental health problems: A family history of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a substance use disorder, or impulse disorders increases the risk of kleptomania.
• Personal history of mental health issues: A person with bipolar disorder, an anxiety disorder, an eating disorder, or a personality disorder faces a greater chance of experiencing kleptomania.
• Early neglect or trauma: People may steal to seek power or control. For example, stealing can be a way to fulfill needs left unmet in childhood.
• Learned habits: Kleptomania can run in families, and children who observe family members stealing may feel inclined to do so themselves. Similarly, someone may assume stealing is okay if their peers exhibit these behaviors.
• Stress: Stress can exacerbate impulsive habits. Someone with kleptomaniac tendencies may engage more in stealing behaviors when overwhelmed.

Complications Associated With Kleptomania

Numerous complications are associated with being addicted to stealing. Kleptomania can affect every part of life, including emotional well-being, relationships, occupation, and professional reputation. Getting caught can come with severe consequences that can be financially and legally devastating. In addition, untreated kleptomania may exacerbate symptoms of other conditions, including anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem.

Possible effects of kleptomania include:

• Legal problems: Theft can result in legal issues, including misdemeanors and felonies, which may result in getting arrested.
• Guilt/shame/self-loathing: Many people with kleptomania experience intense guilt and shame about their actions. These feelings can trigger a vicious cycle of unwanted behaviors.
• Financial problems: Kleptomania can result in financial difficulties because of legal issues from getting caught.
• Relationship problems: Kleptomania may lead to trust issues and relationship conflict.
• Sense of hopelessness: Some people with kleptomania may feel hopeless about their inability to stop stealing, which can be a scary and uncomfortable feeling.
• Occupational problems: Kleptomania can lead to someone losing their job or having trouble getting hired due to their legal background.

Co-Occurring Disorders That May Contribute to Kleptomania

Determining which condition directly contributes to another is challenging when individuals experience comorbid disorders. While identifying the exact connection between kleptomania and common comorbidities is impossible, diagnosis can provide insight into possible triggers or underlying issues.

Disorders that commonly co-occur with kleptomania include:¹

• Bipolar disorders: Manic episodes sometimes coincide with spending sprees and grandiose thoughts, causing some people to engage in stealing behaviors.
• Depressive disorders: Many people with kleptomania also have co-occurring symptoms of depression. The stealing may briefly create a sense of joy or pleasure.
• Anxiety disorders: Anxiety can also exacerbate or coincide with kleptomania.
• Eating disorders: Some people steal food to support their eating disorders.
• Personality disorders: Research shows people with kleptomania have higher rates of personality disorders, including paranoid, schizoid, and borderline personality disorder.⁶
• Substance use disorders: People may steal various items to fund their substance use habit or pay off debts.
• Impulse control disorders: People with kleptomania may have other impulse control disorders, including conduct disorder, intermittent explosive disorder, and pathological gambling. They may also struggle with compulsive eating, shopping, Internet, or sexual behavior.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): Some OCD symptoms, including compulsive behavior, overlap with kleptomania.

How Is Kleptomania Diagnosed?

Mental health professionals typically use the kleptomania DSM-5 criteria to establish a working diagnosis for individuals who exhibit chronic stealing behaviors. They may also administer the Kleptomania Symptom Assessment Scale (K-SAS) or Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) to assess symptoms. Because kleptomania is a fairly straightforward diagnosis, many people can develop a preliminary self-diagnosis before reaching out for professional support.

Kleptomania Treatment Options

Treatment for kleptomania typically involves a comprehensive approach to therapy, medication, and healthy lifestyle changes. Researchers have discovered specific approaches that benefit people with the disorder, such as cognitive behavioral therapy.

Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help a person with kleptomania identify unhealthy behaviors and problematic thinking patterns while learning to form new habits. Various factors influence how quickly someone can diminish kleptomaniac behavior, but CBT techniques often work quickly.⁷ Early treatment and working with an experienced clinician can speed up the therapeutic process. On the other hand, co-occurring conditions, poor treatment compliance, and triggers can slow progress.

Below are common CBT techniques used to treat kleptomania:^2,5

• Client education: Psychoeducation about kleptomania, the possible effects, and how to shift behaviors is essential. Helping to normalize the experience can make clients feel hopeful and encouraged rather than flawed or weak.
• Covert sensitization: Sensitization increases stress and anxiety connected to stealing. The therapist uses visualization techniques to guide the client into imagining a future situation. They picture taking an item and experiencing negative consequences like arrest, public embarrassment, and financial repercussions.
• Aversion therapy: Aversion therapy aims to break the link between discomfort and stealing by substituting uncomfortable and unwanted actions for theft. When the client first experiences an urge to steal, the therapist encourages them to engage in mildly painful behavior, like holding their breath or an ice cube. The goal is to distract and redirect from the habit of stealing.
• Systematic desensitization: Systematic desensitization helps people control the urges and impulses to steal with relaxation techniques and positive imagery. The person learns to view uncomfortable feelings as temporary.

Medication

Prescribers may offer medications to help treat kleptomania after a careful evaluation. The FDA has not approved specific medications for kleptomania. However, some medications can help reduce symptoms and address co-morbid mental health conditions.

Only an experienced prescriber can recommend a medication for kleptomania. Clients should fully understand their prescription and inform their doctor of developing side effects or problems.

Medications for kleptomania may include:^2,5

• Antidepressants: Tricyclic antidepressants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can address depressive or OCD symptoms sometimes associated with kleptomania. These medications help regulate serotonin levels in the brain that may contribute to powerful urges to steal.
• Mood stabilizers: Mood stabilizers can help individuals experiencing a co-occurring mood disorder.
• Naltrexone: Naltrexone (ReVia, Vivitrol) helps reduce cravings in opioid and alcohol addiction treatment and may aid in controlling the impulses of kleptomania.

7 Ways to Manage Living With Kleptomania

Kleptomania can be stressful, but you can minimize the impact and live well by making healthy changes. Mindfulness, planning for triggers, and support can shrink the influence of kleptomania.

1. Have an Open Discussion About Kleptomania

Many people with kleptomania may conceal the truth from others because of shame, guilt, and regret. However, this approach can lead to unwanted repercussions in the long term. Have an open and honest conversation with your loved ones about your situation. Let them know how kleptomania presents for you and how you plan to make positive changes.

2. Plan & Prepare for Urges

People who have never lived with kleptomania cannot understand how a simple activity like going to the supermarket can inspire stress, tension, fear, and worry. Plan and prepare for these urges rather than spontaneously jumping in the car and heading to the store.

Consider how your condition may present and what coping skills you can use to fight back against urges. As always, prevention is a helpful tool, so taking steps to reduce your stress and anxiety before leaving the house can put you in a better position for success.

3. Focus on Your Physical Health

Sometimes, caring for your overall well-being is the best tool when managing kleptomania. By focusing on your physical health, you can clear out stress and put your body and mind in a better position to handle whatever situation comes your way.

Maintaining a healthy diet, exercise routine, and sleep hygiene can help improve your condition. These physical health activities help regulate serotonin levels, helping much more than kleptomania symptoms.

4. Stay Committed to Treatment

Assuredly, you will likely grow frustrated by your kleptomania treatment. Even though you may feel tempted to skip an appointment or stop taking your medication, continuing the process is the only way to achieve results.

Inform your providers if treatment adds to your frustration. Let them know your commitment to the plan is wavering. Together, you can find ways to reinvest in treatment and devote more time, attention, and energy to the services.

5. Lean on Loved Ones for Support

Compulsive stealing can feel shameful and isolating, but you are not alone. People who care about you want to help. Reach out when you are struggling, and share your successes when you achieve your goals. Consider joining an in-person or online support group if you cannot lean on your friends or family.

6. Identify Your Triggers

Working through an addiction to stealing entails recognizing triggers that precede kleptomania urges. These triggers may be internal (i.e., certain emotional states) or external (i.e., specific stores, people, times of the day). While avoiding or eliminating all triggers may be impossible, being aware of them can help you plan for managing them effectively.

7. Learn New & Adaptive Coping Skills

Learning how to stop stealing requires implementing new ways of coping with stress. You should occupy your time and complex emotions without engaging in old behaviors. Consider writing down healthy coping skills (taking a walk, calling a friend, journaling about your feelings) and revisiting this list whenever triggered.

Supporting a Loved One With Kleptomania

Getting help for a loved one with kleptomania often means educating yourself about the condition. You may feel disheartened and upset when someone you love steals from you, but remember to separate the behavior from the person. Engage them in conversation built on love and support, not anger and blame. Consistency with patience and care can make a difference in their recovery and treatment.

Here are ways to support a loved one struggling with kleptomania:

• Avoid judgmental accusations: Remember that most people with kleptomania already feel intense shame and worry about being judged by others. Try to avoid reinforcing harsh accusations as much as possible.
• Learn more about kleptomania: Educate yourself on the condition and the underlying reasons for stealing behavior. Remind yourself that people rarely steal out of purely malicious intent.
• Ask how you can provide support: Ask your loved one how you can help them. Avoid generic solutions unless they specifically ask you for advice.
• Encourage them to seek professional support: Kleptomania can be a chronic condition that can result in devastating consequences. Encourage your loved one to seek therapy to work on their compulsive habits and establish a recovery plan.
• Practice your own self-care: No matter how much you care about your loved one, you can’t control other people. It’s always important to consider how well you’re looking after your own needs.
• Set boundaries: You are allowed to set boundaries with loved ones exhibiting kleptomaniac behavior. Be clear about what you are and are not willing to tolerate.

Final Thoughts

Kleptomania is a challenging condition to manage, but help is available. Consider seeking professional help as you work toward symptom improvements and overall life satisfaction. Your loved ones can also provide much-needed support, so practice self-compassion by being vulnerable and asking for help.