The stealing sickness...

Shoplifters of the world unite, sang 80s band The Smiths, but in fact most thieves work in ones and twos for obvious reasons. While the majority of thieves steal for personal gain, for some it is a clinical compulsion that may lead them ultimately to a courtroom and the shame of prosecution.

Kleptomania is the name given for the condition which compels people to steal. Normally, thieves take things that they want, need or can sell. Whether they are credit card fraudsters or blatant bag snatchers, they are motivated by personal gain. Kleptomaniacs differ from most thieves in that they will steal things that are of absolutely no use to them.

"Most kleptomania is associated with depression rather than psychosis", explained Dr Georgina O'Brien, a clinical psychologist who specialises is the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorders. "We rarely encounter kleptomania, as a huge level of embarrassment seems to preclude people from seeking treatment voluntarily. Often, if a case of kleptomania does present itself, it has come to the health service by way of the courts".

Only an estimated 5% of people who steal from shops are clinically kleptomanic and the majority of these are women. Contrary to the myth, people with kleptomania will not steal everything and anything they can lay their hands on. They will often go for long periods without stealing, but eventually their compulsion leads them back to commit another theft.

'Only around 5% of thieves are actually kleptomanic'.

The pleasure for a kleptomaniac person is in giving in to their impulse to steal. When they experience the urge to steal, tension begins to build up within them. This tension eventually becomes unbearable and can only be released by giving in to their impulse. Most people with kleptomania are female. They are usually older than the average shoplifter and have been stealing for a number of years. A treatment centre in America found that most of the people they treated stole, on and off, for an average of 16 years.

Kleptomania is a recognised clinical impulse disorder, meaning that those who suffer from the condition cannot help their impulsive activity. Nevertheless, in the eyes of the law the penalties remain the same, no matter what the reason for stealing. If caught, they will most likely be prosecuted and if found guilty they can expect the same threat of fine and imprisonment as other thieves.

People with kleptomania are usually able to afford the goods they choose to steal. They rarely fit the profile of the more common shoplifters, being older and more affluent. Rather than face the shame of prosecution, they are sometimes in a position to pay recompense and have any charges dropped. In fact, some kleptomaniacs are so penitent about their stealing that they will attempt to return the goods they have taken. Others respond to their guilt by hiding the goods and hence their problem, from others.

Chronic thieves are often inaccurately described as kleptomaniac when in fact their behaviour is driven by criminal greed or the need to feed an addiction. Regular shoplifters will plan to steal, often taking things to order for money. Kleptomaniacs, however, take objects on impulse, without planning ahead or thinking of the possible consequences.

A person with kleptomania experiences a 'rush' while stealing that is caused by fulfilling their compulsion. Inordinate levels of tension build up before they steal, which can only be relieved by taking an item. They often feel a sense of pleasure or relief immediately after taking the item, as opposed to other thieves whose tension levels remain high until they are out of the shop and in the clear.

Stealing is a criminal offence, even when committed under compulsion. The kind of theft that attracts people with kleptomania is known legally as larceny. Larcenies are thefts that do not involve violence, personal robbery or burglar, and they account for half of all crimes reported to the Gardai.

All shoplifting is larceny and most larcenies involve robbing from shops or parked cars. These two crimes alone make up around 20% of all prosecutions. There were over 30,000 larcenies reported in the first 9 months of 1999 alone, in which goods worth more than £42 million were stolen. Obviously this is only the tip of the iceberg, as most thefts of all kind go unreported.

The cost to retailers is enormous, as it is measured not only in stolen goods but also in the cost of security systems and hire of personnel. Whether inspired by kleptomania or mere greed and personal gain, theft is a crime with a cost to the economy.

Shoplifting is a common pursuit among teens, who often dare each other to steal.

Contrary to public perception, the majority of such thefts are not committed by juvenile delinquents. While shoplifting is common among teenagers, it is more commonly a crime committed on a dare, or because peer pressure has led them to believe that they need something that they cannot afford. There were 3,184 larceny offences committed by young offenders during 1999 making this the most common crime committed by underage offenders.

According to Irish security consultant Roy Orr, most theft is not actually conducted by the public at all, but by employees of the retail outlets. He believes that 85% of losses in the retail sector can be attributed to staff and that 80% occurs at the point of sale. If most theft is due to staff, is it possible that many people working in the retail industry are actually experiencing kleptomania? Roy Orr thinks not.

'Only 15% of all theft is committed by the public. The rest is stolen by staff'.

"Anywhere there is a cash register there is an opportunity for fraud", explained Mr Orr, whose firm investigates fraud and staff theft for multinational retail chains throughout the north and south of Ireland. "The thieves are sophisticated, knowing what to do to ensure till records are correct".

"By and large the people we catch aren't the people the employer suspects", said Roy Orr. "Who would have suspected the 71 year old who stole £3,500 in nine months or the mother who stole from her own son?"

He rejects the suggestion that employee thieves might be compulsively stealing as kleptomaniacs do. He points to the fact that the people he catches are taking money rather than goods they do not require and that when confronted, they are often able to return much of the cash they have purloined.

"You are talking about people abusing the trust of their employer", he stated. "They are not driven to steal. They plan what they do and attempt to cover their tracks. They steal because they feel it is a perk of their job, or simply because they feel they can get away with it. In my experience, about 25% are totally honest and another 50% are mostly honest. The remainder are the people I target".

Superintendent Derek Byrne is based at Store Street Garda Station in inner city Dublin. He sees shoplifters on an almost daily basis, as the territory covered by his station includes major shopping areas like Henry Street, Mary Street and O'Connell Street.

"Most shoplifters are young people", he explains. "If they want something their friends all have and they can't afford it, they'll just take it anyway. Addicts do a lot of shoplifting as well. They steal what they can sell to get money for drugs. They might be compelled in a sense to steal, but I would not describe them as kleptomaniacs".

Kleptomanic behaviour is rarely systematic, so career criminals have sometimes been known to claim it as a legal defence. A pattern of multiple convictions can be interpreted as indicating career thieving or kleptomanic tendencies. The distinction is that while the thief steals for profit and could rarely afford to purchase what he or she purloins, a person with kleptomania is likely to take something that is of no use to them.

"It makes little difference in the eyes of the law", adds Supt. Byrne. "If a shopkeeper decides to prosecute someone who has taken goods without paying, they will face charges no matter what their reason for stealing".

For those people who have kleptomania, however, stealing is not an activity that the law, prosecution or even a sentence will dissuade them from doing. Instead it is a compulsive risk-taking activity that is recognised as a mental disorder. There is disagreement among experts as to whether kleptomania should be considered as a mood disorder or an obsessive-compulsive disorder, but there is little disagreement about the most effective treatment.

Some clinicians argue that kleptomania is a mood disorder, since it so often accompanies other mood disorders, such as depression. Others contend that kleptomania is obsessive-compulsive, since it is an unwanted, destructive impulse that intrudes into a patient's mental state. However, both kinds of condition respond to drugs known as Serotonin Specific Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), of which the best known is Prozac.

Researchers in Israel discovered in 1999 that SSRIs, can be extremely useful in treating kleptomania. It has since been suggested that people with the condition may be suffering from a lack of serotonin within their brain chemistry.

Kleptomania has often been linked with other psychological conditions. People with kleptomania regularly suffer from other mood disorders too. Depression and anxiety are common among people with kleptomania. Less commonly, eating disorders, especially bulimia and personality disorders occur among people with kleptomania. The bottom line is that someone who displays kleptomanic symptoms needs help, not only for that disorder, but possibly for others too.

Most people with the condition will not seek help for it though some will get treatment for it after referral from the courts or when related conditions, such as anxiety or stress of being caught, become difficult to handle. While there do not appear to be any specialists dealing with kleptomania in Ireland, psychologists and psychiatrists would be capable of offering help.

For those with the condition, it can be a dangerous and lonely affliction until they are caught. Often their regret at appearing in court and their shame when family and friends discover what they have done, are the catalysts they need to seek help.