By Nupur Apte
The concept of being forced to steal is one that many people scoff at. I mean, there’s no possible way that that can be true, right? Just a believable lie told by a thief to get out of trouble. This is the misconceived mindset of many when they first hear about kleptomania, and due to low awareness of the condition, many who suffer from it suffer additionally from shame, forced secrecy, and criminal charges.
So, really, what is Kleptomania? Kleptomania is an intense, impulse-based disorder that causes an intense need to steal and shoplift, with feelings of tension before, pleasure during, and shame afterwards. Common disorders seen alongside Kleptomania involve anxiety, depression, and other impulse control disorders.
Kleptomania can become chronic if left untreated, and can lead to or worsen other mental health disorders like anxiety or depression. Those who seek treatment are met with cognitive behavioral therapy in effort to teach patients to manually override their urges to steal.
The overshadowing of Kleptomania in mental health campaigns, as well as its complete lack of representation in the media, stimulates an incorrect narrative on the disorder, harming those who suffer from it by framing them as thieves rather than patients.