Women and Kleptomania

Kleptomania is a largely misunderstood mental health diagnosis. Although most people think that kleptomania is simple thievery, the fact is that people suffering from the disorder rarely take items of great value. Instead, they opt for objects of very little consequence, perhaps a small piece of costume jewelry, ink pens, and the like.

People with kleptomania typically indicate they have no idea why they take the items. Many don't even realize they've taken something until they get home and look through their shopping bags or notice something in their pockets.

According to the Mind Disorders website, 0.6% of the population is diagnosed with kleptomania. Women are more likely to receive the diagnosis. In fact, Grant and Potenza's 2008 study suggested that about 2/3 of people diagnosed with kleptomania were female.

Clinical Indicators of Kleptomania

Kleptomania is an Impulse Control Disorder, which is a type of anxiety disorder, according to The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Volume IV, Text Revision (DSM-IV, TR). People suffering from kleptomania often feel increasing feelings of anxiety or nervousness just before taking an object without paying for it. And then, upon taking an object, they feel a release of that tension. A mind-boggling aspect of kleptomania is that items taken are usually not wanted or needed by the person.

A person diagnosed with kleptomania is compelled by forces out of her control to take items without paying for them. Kleptomania has some similarities with other compulsive behavior disorders like gambling or self-harm, like cutting. Experts indicate that 7% of those diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder are also diagnosed with kleptomania, signaling a clinical connection between the two.

Typically, those diagnosed with kleptomania do not have significant histories of criminal activity. In fact, in one study done by McElroy, Hudson, Pope and Peck (1991), only 10% of 100 patients examined reported having other antisocial behaviors such as lying, embezzlement, fraud, breaking and entering, or torturing animals. Also in this study, nearly 100% of people diagnosed with kleptomania reported feelings of depression (all but 2 of 2,510).

Research on Women with Kleptomania

In a different study done by McElroy, Pope, Hudson, Keck, and White, out of 20 subjects suffering from kleptomania, 75% were women. Women diagnosed with kleptomania are more likely to suffer from mood and anxiety disorders. Interestingly, all of the females in the study also had mood disorder diagnoses, while 16 reported anxiety disorders. Twelve of the 15 women said they had eating disorders as well.

Grant and Potenza found in their study that women with kleptomania first shoplifted around age 20 while the males began much earlier at age 14. Half of the women studied hoarded the items they stole while less than 25% of men did so. Just over 10% of the men in the study had intermittent explosive disorder while none of the women had it. Just over 10% of women reported eating disorders, while no men reported suffering from those disorders.

There are also differences in items taken between women and men diagnosed with kleptomania. Women tend to steal mostly household goods while men opt for electronics, as reported by Grant and Potenza. Both women and men with kleptomania steal clothing. Also relevant was the co-occurring diagnosis of hoarding when those with kleptomania were female.

Kleptomania: The Secret No One Talks About

Multiple research projects have found that women with kleptomania tend to suffer from other impulse control problems, such as hoarding, using drugs, eating disorders, or gambling. Unlike most of these impulse control and addiction difficulties, kleptomania is more difficult to spot in a loved one.

Why? Women with kleptomania rarely share they suffer from the disorder. Friends and family are unaware that a loved one is dealing with such difficulties. Particularly because the items taken are often small tokens of no great value, the objects might not be noticed by others or are assumed to have been purchased.

What might be the source of the intense feelings that women with kleptomania experience just before stealing an object? Is it a mood disorder, such as depression that triggers the intense need to take an item? Do women feel a lack of love from their parents and thus grow up feeling inadequate and thus compelled to "fill the hole inside" with items pilfered from a department store?

Contrary to what experts believe about kleptomania in general, some recent research indicates women with kleptomania feel pressured to have name brand and "popular" clothing which increases the likelihood they'll steal such items. In women with kleptomania, the pressure and anxiety boils over to the point that they are compelled to steal.

Sources

American Journal of Psychiatry website.

MBL Communications, Inc. website.

Mayo Clinic website.

Mind Disorders website.

Psychological Medicine website.