Kleptomania: Understanding the Disorder, Its Signs, and the Test

What is kleptomania?

The vast majority of thefts have nothing to do with kleptomania: they are motivated by profit, need, group pressure, or anger. Kleptomania is paradoxical: the person steals objects of no value or use to them (they could often pay for them, and they throw them away, return them, or hoard them unused). The act has no material goal — it discharges an inner tension.

In the article that follows, I explore obsessions and compulsions. If you recognise yourself in this theme, I designed an OCD test that helps you take stock of the presence of intrusive thoughts and rituals. It comes with a guide to extend your reflection beyond the results. I also wrote a book on this subject, The Practical CBT Guide, if you would like to go further.

It is an impulse-control disorder, akin to intermittent explosive disorder and pyromania: all share the same tension–act–relief mechanism.

The signs (DSM-5 criteria)

Under the DSM-5, kleptomania is classified as an impulse-control disorder, defined by this specific set of criteria:

• repeated inability to resist the impulse to steal useless objects (not motivated by need or value);
• rising tension just before committing the theft;
• pleasure, gratification, or relief at the moment of the act;
• the theft is not committed to express anger or revenge, and is not due to a delusion or hallucination;
• the behavior is not better explained by conduct disorder, a manic episode, or antisocial personality.

What people often confuse it with

Ordinary theft (for profit, need, adolescent dare) is not kleptomania. Compulsive buying is a different phenomenon. And a manic episode (bipolar disorder) may involve impulsive buying or stealing without being kleptomania. The intense shame felt by people with kleptomania clearly distinguishes them from owned theft.

How is this dimension measured?

The specialized tool is the K-SAS (Kleptomania Symptom Assessment Scale, Grant & Kim), used mostly in research and treatment follow-up. It is a symptom-assessment instrument, not a general-public diagnostic test.

Our kleptomania test helps spot the tension–act–relief cycle and put words to it, to prepare for a consultation. A high score is not a diagnosis.

What CBT can do

CBT is the best-supported approach. Two techniques stand out: exposure and response prevention (learning to tolerate the tension without acting) and stimulus control (reducing exposure to triggering situations). Work on shame is added, and sometimes a medical opinion (some treatments are studied). The disorder is treatable — all the more so when it is spoken about despite the shame.

When to seek help?

When the impulse to steal escapes you, repeats, and generates shame, anxiety, or legal problems; when you hide these acts from loved ones. A psychologist or psychiatrist can help without judgment — it is a symptom, not a moral flaw. Overview: behavioral disorders in the DSM-5.

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This article is intended for psychological information and education. It does not constitute a diagnosis or medical advice. Only a qualified health professional can diagnose an impulse-control disorder, after a complete clinical assessment. Take the Psy Test → — 60 questions, anonymous, PDF report.

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• Stealing Impulse Test (Kleptomania): what it measures and how to interpret your score