EpistemisKleptomania
Specialty: Psychiatry.
Why it occurs
- Impulse control disorder (primary kleptomania)
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder and related disorders
- Bipolar disorder (manic or hypomanic phase due to disinhibition)
- Frontotemporal dementia (behavioral variant with loss of social norms)
- Borderline or antisocial personality disorder
Initial workup
Psychopathological evaluation aimed at impulse control and OCD spectrum; ruling out frontal cognitive impairment through specific neuropsychological tests (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, etc.).
red flags
Imminent severe legal consequences (repeated arrests), suicidal ideation secondary to shame or reputational ruin, or comorbidity with self-harming behavior.
Standard management
- Naltrexone — opioid antagonist that reduces the gratification, urgency, and arousal associated with the act of stealing
- Fluoxetine or Sertraline — SSRI at high doses to reduce the intrusive and anxious component
- Topiramate — pulse control modulator
Educational guidance for study. It is NOT a prescription recommendation. The actual choice depends on the cause, the patient, and current guidelines.
- Area
- Psychiatry
- Listed causes
- 5
- Treatment options
- 3