When we walk around shops, all of us sometimes see things that we would like to possess. In a world full of consumer goods, and limited money to buy them, sometimes that desire to possess can become an impulse to steal. However, few of us act on such impulses.

Kleptomaniacs are different. Kleptomania refers to a mental health condition where the sufferer is unable to resist the impulse to steal and in fact often feels a strong urge to steal. It is a condition which reaches across all social classes, and there have been many cases of celebrities and other wealthy people being caught shoplifting.

The object being stolen is not important to kleptomaniacs. Instead, it is the act of stealing which concerns them. The object itself might well be thrown away soon after being stolen, and in some cases it could be returned to its original location.

The causes of kleptomania are not well known. Some people have suggested that there may be a psychological explanation based upon depression or a lack in the sufferer’s sex life. There is no single type of kleptomaniac, although in many cases the individual is seeking to escape from stressful circumstances in other parts of their life. As with many mental health conditions, kleptomaniacs often find it hard to admit that they have a problem.

One issue involves the distinction between thieves and kleptomaniacs. After all, not all thieves are kleptomaniacs. Some are opportunists and professionals. Kleptomaniacs often tend to act alone, and do not carry out their thefts to acquire goods or make money. In their case, the theft results from an inability to resist their urges, not a conscious desire to steal.

For some experts, kleptomania can be likened to an addiction. According to prominent psychoanalyst Sandor Ferenczi, the kleptomaniac steals to fill a gap in their life, just like a drug addict with their regular fix.

For psychologists, the solution to kleptomania lies in dealing with the underlying causes. If patients suffer from anxiety or depression, where does that come from? In many cases, when the deeper problem such as depression is dealt with, the urge to steal dissipates at the same time. This means that professionals working with kleptomaniacs need to pay close attention to the history and personality of their patients in a complex form of impulse-control therapy.

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