Stealing Madness - Kleptomania
Dana M. Polak, Pinhas N. Dannon
Psychiatry Department C, Sheba Medical Center Tel Hashomer, Israel
Kleptomania is one of the common less diagnosed impulse control disorders, which could be treated by the combination of psychological and pharmacological therapy. The most effective treatment regimens include cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy in the psychological field, and antidepressants and mood stabilizers as pharmacological treatment.
Most of the patients with kleptomania are initially treated only for a comorbid psychiatric disorder, since kleptomaniac symptoms had not been raised in the anamnesis.
The aim of our article is to inform the physicians about the possible diagnosis and treatment options for this disorder in order to prevent co-morbidity with other psychiatric disorders. Some specific cases are presented in order to explain symptomatology.