Kleptomania is an impulse control disorder. People with kleptomania experience irresistible impulses or urges to steal. Stealing without regard for the value of an object and taking unnecessary items are features of the disorder. Prior to stealing, patients feel increasing anxiety until the impulse to steal becomes overwhelming. After stealing, they feel relief and gratification. Individuals with this disorder believe the only way to achieve this emotional release is by acting on the impulse to steal.  

Feelings of anxiety, depression and guilt are common in people with kleptomania. There are a number of mental disorders that may coexist in patients with kleptomania, including major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and bulimia nervosa.

Kleptomania is a rare mental disorder. According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), less than 5 percent of identified shoplifters have kleptomania. It is more common in women than in men and can develop at any point in a person’s life, although appearance during adolescence may be more typical. Once kleptomania appears, it can recur throughout a person’s life unless treated. The causes of kleptomania are not fully understood.

It is hard to identify a person with kleptomania. Individuals with the condition are often reluctant to admit to the illegal activity for fear of criminal prosecution. Stealing is completed alone and the stolen objects are hidden, discarded, given away or returned. Kleptomania often goes undetected until a person is caught stealing.