Can Medication Cure Kleptomania?
Sardorbek Primkulov
Hudson County Community College
Author Note
This paper was prepared for Psychology 101, Section 05, taught by Professor Cuellar.
Abstract
In recent years, law enforcement agencies and medical experts have expressed concern about the stagnant problem of kleptomania in the United States. While most agree that Kleptomania, as an impulse control disorder, deserves deeper medical research and cohesive legal reassessment, consensus weakens around how to treat the disorder fairly and successfully. The literature review examines one approach to treating Kleptomania: medication. With no FDA-approved medication for Kleptomania, the research paper presents the effectiveness for
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If untreated, it can often cause much emotional pain to the kleptomaniac and those around him as the disorder is often accompanied by problems with emotional and behavioral self-control. As one of psychiatry’s most poorly understood diagnoses, despite recognition in the literature for 200 years, Kleptomania remains misjudged by the public and the law or goes undiagnosed and untreated despite causing notable distress and impaired functioning, Kleptomaniacs often experience the humiliation of repeated arrests, which may lead to internal guilt, depression, mood instability, and an overall congestion of anger. Although there is no FDA-approved medication and clinically proven cure for Kleptomania, certain psychologically and psychiatrically driven treatments with medication may be able to help reduce or even end vicious cycles of compulsive stealing.
Literature Review In 2009, The National Association of Shoplifting Prevention reported that an estimated 1 in 11 people have committed shoplifting during their lifetime, and that the rates of shoplifting between men and women were fairly close. The Association reported that, “in fact, more than $13 billion worth of goods are stolen from retailers in the United State each year.” Such gross shoplifting, the report
Shoplifting today, is becoming a growing problem in the U.S. and in our community. It has become one of the overall most widespread crimes in the U.S. Shoplifters, while in the act, don’t always realize the effect it has on our economy and daily lives.
Mental Illness has been prevalent all throughout our history from Isaac Newton to Abraham Lincoln to Sylvia Plath and so on. These illnesses can be as minor as a slight bipolar disorder or as severe as schizophrenia. In recent years, mental illnesses are becoming more prevalent in our criminal justice systems than anywhere else. Mental illness is becoming an association with crime and based on the information that has been found, this paper will attempt to further define the problem of mental illness within our criminal justice system and offer alternatives or insights as to how to possibly help with this problem.
The obvious reason that someone would 'love' shoplifting would be that she wanted to have items she could not obtain with her current paycheck. However, the author does have a job, and over the course of the essay she does not specifically identify many expensive items that she would like to possess but cannot buy. "Everything changes when I shoplift. I'm no longer negotiating with faceless, inhuman entities that have no concern for my welfare; instead, I'm taking what I need without giving anything up." Her main complaint with capitalism is the impersonality of its
Shoplifting is a major problem in today. The temptation of not paying for something, just hiding it away and saving your own money is a large factor for some people. The culprit just thinks he's getting a product for free and doesn't know what he's actually doing to himself and the community. Shoplifting effects everyone, yourself and the everyone in the local neighborhood.In this essay I'm going to explain some of the circumstances of stealing from local stores, or any store. After I've been caught stealing I found out how wrong it is and how it is a disadvantage to everyone.
Shoplifting is a major problem in today’s world. I myself was recently caught shoplifting and now I have to face the consequences for the bad mistake I made. The temptation of not paying for something is very big factor in why people steal. The shoplifter thinks he is getting a product for free and doesn't know what he's really doing to himself and the community. Shoplifting affects yourself, your local neighborhood and the world population.
One out of every four Americans suffered from a mental illness, yet 60% of them never received treatment (Berkowicz, 2013). An increased awareness of the effect of psychiatric drugs led some to believe that use of them by teen led to violence. In the last several years 31 acts of school violence occurred by people taking, on withdrawal of, or abusing psychiatric drugs. These
Antisocial Personality Disorder is a very rare disorder. The criteria to be diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder has been changed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders throughout many years. The rareness of this disorder can be considered beneficial in the world because of the way people diagnosed with it become and what they do to others. Many people diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder find their self in prison. A variety of causes pertain to this disorder. Very few treatments of this disorder seem to work of this that has been tested. Researchers are still working on a better way to treat this disorder. The defense mechanisms associated with antisocial personality disorder are quite common and the same during the course of diagnosis.
Over the past thirty years, there has been a 500% increase in the U.S incarceration rate. (The Sentencing project, 2014) Advances in medicine, such as the discovery of psychoactive drugs, led to the deinstitutionalization of mentally ill patients from psychiatric hospitals. With a long record of horrific abuse,
A small group of people with mental illness (those with severe and untreated symptoms of schizophrenia with Psychosis, major depression or bi-polar mood disorder) may have an increased rate of violence. In this group, Individuals who are suffering from psychotic symptoms that cause them to feel threatened or manipulated by Outside forces have a greater tendency towards violent behaviour. In spite of this, with early assessment and Appropriate treatment, individuals with severe illness are no more dangerous than the general population. Community treatment programs have also been found to be helpful in the management of behaviours that lead to crime.
Along with a community being hurt, his or her actions negatively affect those personally close to the shoplifter as well. Whether it is a mother, father, sibling, or child, there is always someone else being hurt when stealing takes place. It is very easy for the shoplifter to only worry about him or her and not think about the
The cumbersome and prolonged use of drugs may eventually damage the body organs and injure an individual’s health, and there is no evidence that the person will result in antisocial behavior, even with prolonged or excessive use. This is why Dr. Shipman chooses to use
In the first study, the results displayed that there were many drugs that were used by mentally ill patients. These drugs included: alcohol, cannabis, cigarettes, pain killers, kola nut, snuff/gas fumes, rohypnol, and cocaine. Almost half of the patients (43.79%) were found to be using two or more substances. This fact is true, because it was found that the substances were easily accessed at the facilities. In the year of 1985, to help prevent relapse, four psychosocial addiction processes were acknowledged: outcome expectations, self-efficacy, attributions of causality, and the decision making
Today, in this world there are many psychological disorder but one disorder that I found interesting was kleptomania. Kleptomania is the urge of stealing objects everywhere a person goes regardless of its need for use or any financial problems. Kleptomaniacs do not steal for the value of the object but rather they steal for the reward they get by their brains. If they force themselves not to steal, they get severe anxiety attacks and get nervous. They do not think stealing things is a problem to others but they do not do it to hurt others either.
Although it is true that for most people the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary, over time the changes in the brain caused by frequent drug abuse can impair a person's self-discipline and ability to make sound judgements, and at the same time create an intense impulse to take drugs. It is because of these alterations in the brain that it is so puzzling for a person to stop abusing drugs. Luckily, there are treatments that help people to neutralize addiction's powerful disruptive effects and regain control of their lives. Study shows that combining addiction treatment medications, when suitable, with behavioral therapy is the best way to ensure success for most patients. Treatment approaches that are custom-made to each patient's drug abuse patterns and any concurrent medical, psychiatric, and social problems can help achieve sustained recovery and a life without drugs.
Kleptomania is a mental disorder in which the infected person has the impulse to steal objects that have little or no known value to them. The kleptomaniac could easily purchase the item that was stolen, but research has shown that most do it for the adrenaline rush experienced from stealing. Kleptomania has no treatment. People diagnosed with the disorder are advocated to go through psychotherapy or take an anti-depressant medication. As knowledge of kleptomania grows, society has grown more readily to accept it and many more theories about the cause of the disorder have emerged (MJ Goldman, Harvard Medical School).