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Kleptomania: clinical characteristics and associated psychopathology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Susan L. McElroy ,
James I. Hudson ,
Harrison G. Pope  and
Paul E. Keck
Susan L. McElroy*
Affiliation:
From the Biological Psychiatry Laboratory, Laboratories for Psychiatric Research, Psychosis Program, Adult Out-patient Clinic, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA.; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
James I. Hudson
Affiliation:
From the Biological Psychiatry Laboratory, Laboratories for Psychiatric Research, Psychosis Program, Adult Out-patient Clinic, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA.; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Harrison G. Pope
Affiliation:
From the Biological Psychiatry Laboratory, Laboratories for Psychiatric Research, Psychosis Program, Adult Out-patient Clinic, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA.; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Paul E. Keck
Affiliation:
From the Biological Psychiatry Laboratory, Laboratories for Psychiatric Research, Psychosis Program, Adult Out-patient Clinic, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA.; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr Susan L. McElroy, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02178, USA.
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Synopsis

A review of research on Kleptomania – the syndrome of compulsive stealing – suggests that kleptomania may be a common disorder, especially among women, and that it may frequently be associated with other forms of psychopathology, such as mood, anxiety, and eating disorders. There appears to be a range of abnormal or non-antisocial stealing behaviours, all with impulsive and/or compulsive features. Kleptomania, as defined by modern criteria, may represent the most compulsive variant. Kleptomania may be related to mood disorder, and might be a form of ‘affective spectrum disorder’.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 21 , Issue 1 , February 1991 , pp. 93 - 108
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1991

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