Kleptomania

Kleptomania is a mental disorder, expressed in impulsive, unmotivated obsessional theft of objects that are not at all necessary to a person and are of no importance to him. Kleptomania delivers too many problems to those suffering from this pathology and needs serious medication.

The nature of the mania flow can change all the time, both intensify and weaken. Some kleptomaniacs steal only certain things( hair clips, lipsticks, sparkling objects), someone specializes in sweet foods, etc.

Kleptomania - the causes of

Doctors find it difficult to identify the true causes of kleptomania, but to find out its origin in your particular case yetTry. Kleptomania is manifested as a result of any changes in the brain. For example, mania can provoke a lack of a chemical substance - a neurotransmitter responsible for the production of serotonin. Serotonin is responsible for our good mood and emotional well-being. A decrease in the production of serotonin leads to impulsive behavior and the kleptoman tries to compensate for it by stealing, because at the time of the theft, he releases another neurotransmitter, dopamine. This hormone is responsible for our pleasure and pleasant feelings, so the kleptomaniac wants to feel them again and again.

The causes of kleptomania are related diseases that are found in the genealogical tree: obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, bipolar disorder, bulimia. The following factors provoking kleptomania are: substance abuse, craniocerebral trauma, and female sex. But in each case, more research is needed.

Kleptomania - symptoms

Speaking as one of the psychiatric disorders, the craving for theft occurs spontaneously, and the patient can not resist the temptation to steal anything from the store. Even knowing that he will be disgraced, the kleptomaniac can not stop not to commit theft.

Kleptomania includes the following symptoms: compulsive attraction to theft of completely unnecessary objects, heart palpitations and tension before theft, a sense of satisfaction at the time of theft and self-loathing after theft.

Kleptomanov from ordinary thieves is distinguished by the fact that they do not pursue personal interests at the moment of theft and vengeance is not guided. Their thefts are provoked by an internal impulse dictated from within.

Such aspiration introduces them into an excited state, filling with a feeling of awkwardness and anxiety. To calm themselves, kleptomaniacs commit theft, and only for a time experiencing relief, and also satisfaction, then they experience a great sense of guilt, disgust for themselves, represent the scene of arrest. But the mania is cyclical and the desire to steal something is repeated. These episodes arise spontaneously, without special planning.

Often, those suffering kleptomania, go to crime in public places: supermarkets or small shops. There are cases when kleptomaniacs committed theft from their friends or friends. Stolen things and objects are never used by those suffering from kleptomania. There are possible variations in the transfer of stolen things by kleptomaniac to other families, as well as to friends or return to their original place from where they were abducted.

Signs of kleptomania

An irresistible desire to steal an item without the urgent need for it, palpitations, anxiety, excitement, anxiety, inexplicable and only after theft. If these signs of kleptomania do not go away by themselves, you should immediately call your doctor. Many are afraid of the hospital and possible arrest, but this will not happen. You will be provided with qualified psychiatric help, which will help to cope with the unmotivated desire to steal.

If you sincerely wish to help the kleptomaniac from your environment, then very carefully raise this issue. Remember that the kleptomaniac least eager for exposure, and can not help himself independently. The problem is delicate, it is necessary to be correct and attentive in the conversation, without blaming the kleptomaniac.

Kleptomania refers to rare diseases. Probably this is due to the fact that people rarely go to the doctor for help or immediately fall under the investigation into the theft. Statistics on this mania is not available, but less than 5% of thefts are attributed to kleptomaniacs.

The onset of kleptomania often occurs during adolescence, although there are cases of kleptomania in children of primary school age and in adults after 50 years.

Psychological portrait of the kleptomaniac

If we compare ordinary thieves with kleptomaniacs, then we would like to note that the former feel great and are proud that they are thieves. They are filled with anxiety only during the theft or fear of exposure.

Kleptomaniacs, after they have caught high, are torturing themselves and suffering because they consider themselves law-abiding citizens and far from the criminal world. But they can not refuse to steal. Kleptomaniacs are characterized by low self-esteem, a subconscious desire for retribution and a sense of loneliness. The Kleptomaniac can not control himself, because the act of stealing perceives him as a comforter. In ordinary life, when mania recedes, kleptomaniacs are law-abiding citizens. Psychiatrists defend the rights of their patients and insist on the softness of justice, and the problems of the patient's sanity are resolved individually.

Kleptomania is a self-destructive form of behavior, and a person is constantly stressed, depressed, and worried about his misdeeds, blaming himself for it. Obsessive fears, a split personality, a sleep disorder, a serious internal conflict worries the patient with kleptomania. Sometimes, kleptomania is permeated by sexual addiction, which carries the character of a fetish. For example, the theft of women's shoes, women's underwear.

The most inveterate kleptomaniacs do not commit theft every day, as there is a great deal of stress on the psyche. Obviously they are looking for other ways of compensation. Scientists suggest that, after theft, the kleptomaniac still lives as a drug addict at this dose. The remission of kleptomania has three variants of duration:

- single, rare theft with long remission periods;

- long periods of theft and remission;

- chronic kleptomania with periods of instability.

If you perform a comparative analysis, you will find a trigger mechanism for kleptomania, as well as other dependencies. Let's name a number of manias that are close in the model to kleptomania:

- vagrancy( porimaniya, dromomania, vagobandage);

- pyromania( feeling of pleasure from arsons);

- bulimia( gluttony), anorexia( conscious refusal of food);

- sexual disorders.

Kleptomania - treatment of

Most people with kleptomania live with this mania all their life, because they are afraid to seek help from a psychiatrist. And in this case, drug therapy and psychotherapy can put an end to compulsive theft.

Treatment for kleptomania is possible. The program of kleptomaniac behavior begins to be formed from early childhood, and to reorganize the program, it is necessary to work with the subconscious. Neuro-linguistic programming with the introduction of behavioral psychotherapy positively works in this direction. The necessary psychological help provided by suffering kleptomania is identical to that used for other drives and behavioral addictions. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps to remove negative beliefs and change them to positive, healthy. A method of hidden sensitization has proved to be well established. The patient is injected psychologically into such a state, when he presents himself at the moment of theft and feels all the negative consequences of the exposure.

It is necessary to take into account the symptoms and syndromes that accompany kleptomania, but remember about the individual characteristics of the personality and the characteristics of relationships with relatives. It is known that the peace of mind of any person depends on his satisfaction of needs.

How do you treat kleptomania? Effective in the treatment of drugs used in the treatment of depression. These are antidepressants: Fluoxetine( Prozac), Fluvoxamine, Paroxetine( Paxil);Mood stabilizers( Lithium), anticonvulsants, anticonvulsants Topamax( Topiramate), valproic acid;Antagonist Naltrexone, used to reduce the joy associated with theft.

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