Are You A Kleptomaniac? Discover How To Overcome The Addiction To Stealing
Do you feel the urge to steal? Can’t you control your impulsiveness when committing this crime? Kleptomania is a disease that affects many aspects. Find out how to combat it.
A kleptomaniac or kleptomaniac It is a person who cannot resist the urge to take something that does not belong to him. The addiction to stealing implies many difficulties for those who suffer from it, but it also reveals a psychological problem that must be treated.
The kleptomaniac is that person who has the need to steal even though he or she does not need or want the items they are taking. In this way, people who suffer from ‘stealing disease’ They do not do it out of necessity or to commit the criminal act, but rather they suffer from an impulse control disorder. This way of acting under kleptomania can be a problem for both them and their loved ones.
Being a kleptomaniac, stealing is synonymous with having more excitement in their lives and trying to alleviate some symptoms of psychological illnesses. So much so that the kleptomaniacs They can return everything that they have stolen due to their impulse. In psychology, this person who steals and lies because of this uncontrollable impulsivity is someone who suffers from kleptomania.
Causes of kleptomania
Currently, it is not known what the exact causes of kleptomania However, there are some factors that can trigger the kleptomaniac’s addiction to stealing.
Serotonin alteration: Serotonin is a brain chemical that regulates our moods and emotions. In some cases, the person who steals and lies is seeking the satisfaction of carrying out a criminal act without others being able to notice.
Emotional imbalances: The brain’s opioid system is responsible for regulating the feeling of impulsiveness. There is research that shows that people kleptomaniacs They operate differently in these areas.
Dopamine in the brain: Dopamine is a substance that gives rewards to our brain for performing a certain action. In these cases, the kleptomaniac person may experience a sensation of pleasure during the act of stealing and this triggers the recurrence of doing it again.
Depression: The addiction to stealing It can also go hand in hand with depression. In some cases this stealing syndrome can be a way to get the attention of loved ones in the face of depression.
Obsessive compulsive disorders: He kleptomaniac or kleptomaniac You may experience obsessive-compulsive disorder that leads to the impulsiveness of stealing.
Stress: Stress is another of the most common causes that can trigger kleptomania The reason is the inability to control all the effects related to stress.
In many cases the act of stealing As an impulse in psychology it usually goes hand in hand with the following symptoms.
Inability to control the impulse to steal
Anxiety or tension about the act of stealing
Pleasure after stealing
Relief or satisfaction after stealing
Involuntary theft
Feeling of guilt or shame after the robbery
If you detect any of these symptoms of addiction to stealing it is vital to consult with a professional psychologist as soon as possible to treat it.
Characteristics of people with kleptomania
In the event that you believe that someone around you can suffer from kleptomania or the disease of stealing there are a series of attitudes that indicate that they can define
They do not steal for personal gain: Those affected by this stealing syndrome They do not usually have the need to resort to this act to get what they want or require for their survival. Most of them have the addiction to stealing because of an impulsiveness that they cannot control.
Stolen items returned: In many cases, people who suffer from kleptomania or this stealing disease They usually end up returning the items they have stolen. So much so that perhaps they return them without anyone knowing because of the shame they feel about it.
They do not plan their robberies: He kleptomaniac or kleptomaniac He never has a plan to follow to carry out the theft. On the contrary, the need to steal is done in an involuntary way or comes out as a sudden impulse.
They have no financial problems: The kleptomaniacs They do not usually have financial problems that prevent them from buying the things they steal with their own money. Sometimes even these people can take objects that are completely unnecessary to them.
They steal in public places: In the vast majority of cases of kleptomania, people who suffer from this addiction to stealing usually do it in public places. That is, given the risk that someone else could see them committing this criminal act.
These may be signs that we are facing a kleptomaniac or kleptomaniac If you suffer or someone is within these conditions, it is vital to go to a professional psychologist to remedy it.
kleptomania problems
Most people do not suffer only from act of stealing an object, but kleptomaniacs usually end up with some complications due to their illness. Mainly, these people may be affected in the following.
Family problems: Obviously one of the problems linked to a kleptomaniac behavior It is the havoc that they cause to their family due to the disease. Having to pay fines for crimes or go look for the person since they have been arrested can cause many conflicts within the family environment.
Feelings of guilt and fear: The impulse that leads to stealing, being almost uncontrollable, usually goes hand in hand with feelings of guilt or fear to commit this criminal act. So much so that sometimes these emotions can lead to depression.
Other disorders due to lack of control: Sometimes the kleptomania It can be linked to gambling behaviors. This is because perhaps the addiction to stealing indicates a disorder of lack of impulse control of the person who suffers from it.
Anxiety: Anxiety can also be generated due to this stealing syndrome impulsively. The person converts his impulses into anticipated fear of committing the action of stealing.
Eating Disorders: The kleptomaniacs or kleptomaniacs They may try to control their impulses to steal and lead to certain eating disorders, such as overeating or binge eating.
Drug addiction: Another problem that can cause kleptomania It is precisely resorting to drugs to try to calm these impulses to steal.
All of these are the problems or effects that a person can suffer due to kleptomania and its meaning Therefore, it is vital to go to a specialist to be able to stop it before this disease of stealing gets worse.
Kleptomania and its treatment
Once this disorder is identified and verified by consulting a psychologist, the therapy consists of trying to establish control over the impulses of the person who suffers from it. He kleptomania treatment It is usually aimed at cognitive behavioral therapy strategies as well as revealing the triggers of this type of behavior.
The kleptomania It is one of the diseases that can generate the most confusion in those closest to the person who suffers from it. Ending the impulses that lead to the disease of stealing is just a matter of work and effort.
