Treatment Options for the Kleptomania Child
An Overview of the Options Available to Parents
For many parents of a kleptomaniac child, it is quite often the child is labeled as defiant, possessing a conduct disorder or must be the victim of some sort of abuse. In actuality, none of these may be the case at all. As parents of kleptomania child, understanding the essential elements of kleptomania which differ from other child mental health disorders, will aide in identifying the core component of the child's behavior and, thus, seek out early intervention and treatments.
What is important to understand is that kleptomania is a mental health disorder and not a simple case of thievery nor is the act of stealing, by the kleptomaniac, one in which the individual is simply malingering, exhibiting symptoms of a conduct disorder or antisocial personality disorder. Instead, the child suffering from kleptomania will be an individual who commonly participates in theft of items which hold no monetary value, necessarily, and hold no personal value to the child. The kleptomania child, when asked, may indicate he or she was simply unwilling to resist the urge to steal the item in question and had not pre-conceived notion about financial gain or outcome. This is to say, when suffering from kleptomania, the child will not act on the theft in a pre-meditated basis and generally will not involve or include any other individuals in the activity. In general, kleptomania is described as an inability of the child to control the desire to repeatedly steal items, with no foundation or belief as to outcome, and no apparent basis tied to anger or discord with the owner of the item that is stolen.
For children who suffer from true, diagnosed, forms of kleptomania, often the administration of anti-depressants are used, first, in an effort to control impulsivity and the associated mental distress which may accompany self control over not stealing items. Beyond prescription medications, the child suffering from kleptomania often benefits from the intervention of a behavioral therapy program in which the consequences of stealing are used as part of the approach to therapy. Such consequences involved in behavioral therapy might include taking simple measures, such as spanking, or could be more extreme involving the exposure of the child to arrest and detention in a juvenile facility or to the prison system.
Beyond direct behavioral therapy, some kleptomania children are exposed to cognitive behavioral therapy in which the kleptomania child is taught to imagine or role play the outcome of their behavior upon those who love them. In meditation, the kleptomania child is taught to envision the outcome as adverse and one in which the parents are exposed to adverse legal and emotional outcomes as a result of the child's poor decision making. In fact, using a combination approach, with medication, cognitive behavioral therapy and simple behavioral therapy, may provide for the best outcome in resolving this mental health complication but, still, can be challenging to remedy.
As parents caring for a child with a mental health disorder, understanding the dynamics of the disorder, and its contrast to other mental health disorders, can provide the first steps in seeking out the appropriate treatment in what will become a life long battle in an effort to prevent life impacting decisions, including the impact of criminal offenses by the kleptomania child.
Published by Christine Cadena
Education and professional experience in psychology, insurance and health & wellness. Christine provides unique and informative web content in matters related to these same subjects. Content is evergreen i... View profile
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- Kleptomania is a mental health disorder which extends beyond simple theft
- Children suffering from kleptomania require a combination approach to treatment
- Anti-depressant medications are one component in the treatment of kleptomania in children
4 Comments
Post a CommentThis writer should be fired! What an idiot! Parents, DO NOT SPANK or your children or bring them to get arrested! Who does this writer think she is post inaccurate information for parents dealing with such a difficult issue! Call your local therapist and get the real info!
My son is three years old. I am very scared that he may have this disorder. He was issues of stealing food. He will eat in bulk and steal it and hide. We've had him tested for Prader-Willi which is a disease that makes kids steal and eat food, but the test came back negative. We live in this small town that seems like no one knows what to think. The doctor refered us to do a developmental screening, which came back the he was above average then other kids his age. We have to now go see a Phsycologist. I'm so lost in all of this. It doesn't matter what type of disapline tactic we use, nothing works. We've tried spankings, timeouts, taking special things away and nothing ever matters. He can get into trouble at 8:00am and be stealing more food at 8:30am. He is more controlled when me or his father is around. We recently had a babysitter come in and sit with him and my other 2 kids while we worked, and I would get home and he would have destroyed my house. Baby formula all over the floor,
My son is three years old. I am very scared that he may have this disorder. He was issues of stealing food. He will eat in bulk and steal it and hide. We've had him tested for Prader-Willi which is a disease that makes kids steal and eat food, but the test came back negative. We live in this small town that seems like no one knows what to think. The doctor refered us to do a developmental screening, which came back the he was above average then other kids his age. We have to now go see a Phsycologist. I'm so lost in all of this. It doesn't matter what type of disapline tactic we use, nothing works. We've tried spankings, timeouts, taking special things away and nothing ever matters. He can get into trouble at 8:00am and be stealing more food at 8:30am. He is more controlled when me or his father is around. We recently had a babysitter come in and sit with him and my other 2 kids while we worked, and I would get home and he would have destroyed my house. Baby formula all over the floor,
my 16 year old daughter recieved a TBI in 2001 and ever since then she has had kleptomania. We have tried counseling and medications and nothing is helping. All the so-called mental health workers in our area don't know what they're doing and I am so terrified for her. She is in a tremendous amount of legal problems. I can't get her help when no one knows what to do. I've even been blambed for her problem. I have no control over this, I don't know what to do to help her. I or she needs someone who knows what to do for her, not a quick fix but a solution to the problem. She just can't control this, it's going to take over her and everyone in the legal department only see a theif. She's not, she just needs help. Please, help me help her. Pam Rohde