Clinical characteristics and associated psychopathology of 22 patients with kleptomania

Abstract 

The current study was constructed to detail the demographic, phenomenological, family history, and treatment response data in a group of patients with kleptomania. Twenty-two subjects, drawn from an outpatient population, with uncontrollable urges to steal completed both a semistructured interview that focused on stealing behavior and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID). Fourteen women and eight men reported an average age of onset of 16 years and an average symptom duration of 21 years. Sixteen patients (73%) reported particular triggers for their urges to steal. Seventeen subjects (77.3%) qualified for a lifetime axis I diagnosis and 9 (40.9%) qualified for a current axis I disorder other than kleptomania. These patients reported severe symptoms, with 15 subjects (68%) reporting intense shame or guilt following the thefts. We conclude that kleptomania is a distressing and disabling disorder associated with high rates of psychiatric comorbidity.

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