Recently, a very strange thing happened in Taizhou, Zhejiang: 4 young women drove a Porsche luxury car to the countryside in the early morning to steal vegetables in pursuit of excitement. One of them was arrested on the spot.
After interrogation, the four women said, “There are so many dishes that we can’t finish. We just want to find some excitement, steal it for fun, and throw it away when we can’t finish it.” food is wasted)
(Image source: see watermark)
So these four women were loyal players who used to steal vegetables from the school network and QQ farms?
Seriously speaking, this kind of behavior of “stealing items is not for economic benefit, nor for personal use, but only for the pleasure of stealing” is actually a mental disorder called Pathological theft.
Kleptomania: Not For Real Needs, For Thrills
Pathological stealing is a subtype of habit and impulse control disorder, also known as kleptomania or kleptomania, characterized by persistent, Recurrent episodes of theft.
The purpose of stealing is not for financial gain, nor is the item stolen for personal use, nor is it an expression of anger or revenge, often theft of unwanted or worthless items.
Patients have strong, uncontrollable urges prior to theft and related actions, with increasing urgency and tension, and a sense of ease and pleasure after the theft and related actions.
(Photo source: “Iron Teeth Bronze Teeth Ji Xiaolan”)
According to the third edition of the Chinese Diagnostic Criteria for Mental Disorders, CCMD-3, the diagnostic criteria for pathological theft are as follows:
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1. She tells herself that she has a strong and uncontrollable desire to steal. Although she tries to control herself, she cannot stop stealing;
2. Focus on thinking or imagining the theft or the situation;
3. These episodes of theft do not bring personal benefit, or steal despite adverse effects on one’s social, professional, family values and obligations;
4. At least 3 episodes of theft in 1 year.
The purpose, motivation and behavioral characteristics of pathological theft are quite different from ordinary repeat offenders. Lack of planning and completeness, with obvious impulsiveness.
In some cases, patients with pathological theft will throw away the stolen goods, give it to others, or even return it to the original owner after committing the theft, that is, they do not care about the outcome , just enjoy the process of stealing.
However, clinically, diseases such as organic mental disorder, affective mental disorder, obsessive-compulsive neurosis, bulimia nervosa, antisocial personality disorder, and conduct disorder can all appear. Stealing behavior needs to be identified based on the main clinical manifestations.
Why are you obsessed with stealing?
Relevant studies have shown that the prevalence of pathological theft in the general population is about 0.6%, the theft is more common in adolescence and can last for many years, more women than men, and female kleptomaniac The urge to steal is prone to occur around the menstrual period or when the period is gradually increasing.
(Photo source: Figure Worm Creative)
The etiology and pathogenesis of pathological theft are still inconclusive. Physiological reports indicate that compulsive theft may be caused by some organic reasons, such as tumors, Epilepsy, dementia or drug effects.
Psychodynamically, the urge to steal is a symbolic expression of unsatisfied sexual desire and aggressive instincts, or that stealing means possessing something to counter the danger of loss of self-esteem and love , or not to feel guilty about stealing, but to experience a sense of satisfaction, victory, revenge, but these theories have not been clinically tested.
From a psychiatric point of view, pathological theft is a special abnormal psychological behavior, which is characterized by an uncontrollable and recurring impulse to steal. , the ability of self-control decreased to commit crimes to meet the needs of perverted psychology.
(Photo source: Figure Worm Creative)
Most kleptomaniacs have certain personality flaws such as being strong, competitive, narrow-minded, and selfish. Such behaviors have a certain relationship with family education methods and experience, and have no necessary relationship with family economic status and personal education level, and even many patients have high intelligence and education levels.
How is kleptomania treated?
The stealing behavior of patients with pathological theft occurs gradually, continues to progress, the course of the disease is prolonged, the treatment is difficult, and the chance of automatic recovery and long-term prognosis are unclear.
Currently there is no effective treatment for pathological theft, and psychotherapy combined with drug therapy is generally advocated.
In terms of psychotherapy, cognitive psychotherapy and behavioral therapy can be used, including relaxation therapy, system desensitization, aversion therapy, etc. In terms of drug treatment, antidepressant drugs are often used in clinical treatment, such as the application of chlorine Treatment with antidepressants such as imipramine, citalopram, and fluoxetine.
Finally, many friends may be concerned about a question: Can a patient with pathological theft be caught for stealing, can the sentence be reduced or exempted?
The answer is no. At present, there are no special provisions for pathological theft in the law. According to the interpretation of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate for similar cases:
The ability of criminal responsibility refers to the ability of the perpetrator to identify and control his own behavior in the sense of criminal law. The mentally ill can only cause harmful results when he cannot identify or control his own behavior. Only those who have been identified and confirmed by the program shall not be held criminally responsible.
In other words, even if a kleptomaniac steals because of a strong urge, he does not lose consciousness when he commits the theft, and he still has the ability to recognize and control. Therefore, he must also protect himself conduct criminally responsible.
Editor: Dr. Chunyu
References:
[1] China Medical Information Query Platform, Pathological Stealing, https:https://www.dayi.org.cn/disease/1158783
[2]Zhang Zhihui,Su Yu,Wang Xi. Research and Analysis of Pathological Stealing[J].Forum of Science and Technology Association(Second Half Month),2012(06):97-98.
[3] Zhai Changping, Ao Xiang, Cui Ming. Analysis of one case of adult female pathological theft[J]. Journal of Clinical Psychosomatic Diseases, 2013(6):576-578. DOI:10.3969 /j.issn.1672-187X.2013.06.035-0576-03.