Kleptomania - Treatment

Kleptomania has several different treatments. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is recommended as an adjuvant to medication.

Some medications that are used for people diagnosed with kleptomania are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, mood stabilizers and opioid antagonists. The only open-trial of medication for kleptomania showed naltrexone significantly reduced the intensity of urges to steal, stealing thoughts and stealing behavior. A similar three year follow-up of patients treated only with naltrexone showed a clinically significant reduction in kleptomanic behavior.

Doctors in the US have been treating diagnosed kleptomaniacs with mood-altering drugs such as Prozac and Seroxat, on the presumption that outbursts could be triggered by changes in the levels of serotonin in the brain, much like depression. Psychological counselling, to get at the underlying causes of unhappiness, is more likely to effect a long-term cure. Discussing the disorders with others with the same condition was also noted to help.