Why do some rich people shoplift?
May 16, 2004 | 12:00am
I’ve been frequently asked this question. How come there are children or even grown-ups from the elite social circle who shoplift from the department stores? Are all shoplifters kleptomaniacs? These are the people who never seem to run out of money and whose wallets contain a whole gamut of credit cards.
In the cases of shoplifters who have been referred to my clinic, I’ve found them to have a disorder of impulse control called kleptomania only when there is a recurrent failure to resist impulses to steal things or objects that are not needed for their personal use or for any monetary gain. The stolen objects are often given away or kept and hidden. These shoplifters usually describe an increasing tension before the actual act of stealing. After stealing, they say they feel some kind of gratification and a lessening of their tension. Afterwards, some say that they feel some remorse or guilt or some kind of depression.
Their shoplifting is usually not planned and they do this on their own without other people helping them. Since their shoplifting is said to be an impulsive act, they usually do not take into consideration their chances of getting caught.
How is kleptomania different from the ordinary or antisocial stealing? If a shoplifter claims that the stolen object is the goal, then this is not kleptomania since the act of stealing itself is the goal in kleptomania. In the ordinary or antisocial kind of stealing, the act of stealing a desired object is deliberate, premeditated or actually planned and the stolen objects are taken for their use or for financial gain. Kleptomania is thus not associated with a conduct disorder or with an antisocial personality disorder.
It is estimated that the problem of kleptomania may occur in 0.6 percent of the total population. In the Diagnostic Statistical Manual IV-TR, it is reported that kleptomania occurs in five percent of identified shoplifters. The male to female ratio is said to be 1:3.
Symptoms of kleptomania are said to appear more during times of severe stress following losses, separations or endings of significant relationships. What does the stealing or shoplifting mean psychologically for these rich kids and women? The act of shoplifting or stealing can be interpreted as a means of restoring a lost relationship between the mother and child. It can also be perceived as an aggressive act or perhaps as a defensive maneuver against fears of being damaged or castrated. For some, stealing is a means of seeking punishment. Some say that stealing is a kind of reaction to a stressful family secret. Stealing can be so exciting for others that it can serve as substitute for a sexual act.
Some diseases of the brain and even some cases of mental retardation have been associated with kleptomania. In such conditions, further diagnostic evaluation had shown atrophy of the cortex of the brain and enlargement of the lateral ventricles. Some researchers are looking into disturbances in the metabolism of monoamines particularly, serotonin. In one study, seven percent of first-degree relatives of patients with kleptomania had been diagnosed to have obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The course of this disorder is chronic, characterized as waxing and waning. This means that kleptomaniacs tend to have episodes of being unable to resist the impulse to shoplift or steal and this will be followed by periods of no impulses to steal. The person diagnosed to have kleptomania usually will not show any kind of impairment in social and occupational functioning.
There is actually hope for the kleptomaniacs to get well. It is said that the prognosis with psychiatric treatment is good but the problem is that very few kleptomaniacs come for treatment. Effective ways of treating kleptomania are insight-oriented psychotherapy, behavior therapy and medications such as fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, tricyclics and valproate. There have also been reports of successful treatment of kleptomania with electroconvulsive therapy.
Next month, the Child Psychiatry Section of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine of the Philippine General Hospital will be opening an ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder subspecialty clinic) at its Out-Patient Department.
In the cases of shoplifters who have been referred to my clinic, I’ve found them to have a disorder of impulse control called kleptomania only when there is a recurrent failure to resist impulses to steal things or objects that are not needed for their personal use or for any monetary gain. The stolen objects are often given away or kept and hidden. These shoplifters usually describe an increasing tension before the actual act of stealing. After stealing, they say they feel some kind of gratification and a lessening of their tension. Afterwards, some say that they feel some remorse or guilt or some kind of depression.
Their shoplifting is usually not planned and they do this on their own without other people helping them. Since their shoplifting is said to be an impulsive act, they usually do not take into consideration their chances of getting caught.
How is kleptomania different from the ordinary or antisocial stealing? If a shoplifter claims that the stolen object is the goal, then this is not kleptomania since the act of stealing itself is the goal in kleptomania. In the ordinary or antisocial kind of stealing, the act of stealing a desired object is deliberate, premeditated or actually planned and the stolen objects are taken for their use or for financial gain. Kleptomania is thus not associated with a conduct disorder or with an antisocial personality disorder.
It is estimated that the problem of kleptomania may occur in 0.6 percent of the total population. In the Diagnostic Statistical Manual IV-TR, it is reported that kleptomania occurs in five percent of identified shoplifters. The male to female ratio is said to be 1:3.
Symptoms of kleptomania are said to appear more during times of severe stress following losses, separations or endings of significant relationships. What does the stealing or shoplifting mean psychologically for these rich kids and women? The act of shoplifting or stealing can be interpreted as a means of restoring a lost relationship between the mother and child. It can also be perceived as an aggressive act or perhaps as a defensive maneuver against fears of being damaged or castrated. For some, stealing is a means of seeking punishment. Some say that stealing is a kind of reaction to a stressful family secret. Stealing can be so exciting for others that it can serve as substitute for a sexual act.
Some diseases of the brain and even some cases of mental retardation have been associated with kleptomania. In such conditions, further diagnostic evaluation had shown atrophy of the cortex of the brain and enlargement of the lateral ventricles. Some researchers are looking into disturbances in the metabolism of monoamines particularly, serotonin. In one study, seven percent of first-degree relatives of patients with kleptomania had been diagnosed to have obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The course of this disorder is chronic, characterized as waxing and waning. This means that kleptomaniacs tend to have episodes of being unable to resist the impulse to shoplift or steal and this will be followed by periods of no impulses to steal. The person diagnosed to have kleptomania usually will not show any kind of impairment in social and occupational functioning.
There is actually hope for the kleptomaniacs to get well. It is said that the prognosis with psychiatric treatment is good but the problem is that very few kleptomaniacs come for treatment. Effective ways of treating kleptomania are insight-oriented psychotherapy, behavior therapy and medications such as fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, tricyclics and valproate. There have also been reports of successful treatment of kleptomania with electroconvulsive therapy.
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