Why Do People Steal? The Weird Truth Behind Kleptomania

Have you ever seen somebody snatch something silly, like a candy bar or hair band, and thought, why on Earth would they jeopardize their freedom over something so silly, and cost themselves a fortune in the process!?

To answer this question, we must first ask, why do people steal? Not everybody steals for profit. Some people steal compulsively… but, why?

Here is the strange, scientific truth behind stealing to steal, a condition called, kleptomania.

What Is Kleptomania?

Before exploring this weird health issue, let’s take a look at the psychology behind stealing first.

Why Do People Steal?

Psychology Today writes that thieves typically:

• are unaware that they are stealing
• do so with the thought that they are owed something or that the person will not notice anyhow
• are dealing with hardship and need the items

This is not the case for a person suffering from kleptomania.

Kleptomania is an actual psychological condition that produces an irresistible urge to steal, simply for the sake of stealing. Sufferers referred to as kleptomaniacs, usually take things of little value and experience the feeling of pleasure and/ or relief as a result.

Signs of this disorder include:

• inability to resist the urge to steal consistently, despite not needing to
• tension buildup before stealing
• experiencing instant gratification after stealing
• throwing out the objects they stole
• doctors find no other psychological reason for the thefts

Many people who suffer from this condition also report not feeling themselves when they steal. Some report feeling like an alien took over while others report feeling as if they were dreaming during the heist.

Though scientific research on Kleptomania estimated that only about 6 out of 1,000 Americans suffer from the disease, it accounts for 5% of shoplifting cases, creating about 100,000 arrests annually, and cost the economy about $10 billion in 2002, not including thefts from family and friends.

Kleptomania Causes

Though this disorder needs more research to understand exactly why people steal without reason, doctors accept it as an obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorder. Here are some common characteristics of kleptomaniacs:

• female
• diagnosed with another impulse control disorder
• recent acute stress
• a family history of kleptomania
• traumatic head injury
• a difficult upbringing

Many of these people start showing signs as teenagers or young adults.

One of the psychological reasons for stealing is that this disorder follows the same neuropathways as addiction. Meaning, a neurotransmitter, like serotonin or dopamine, is released in high amounts upon stealing, activating the reward center of the brain. Essentially, it creates a high for the thief.

Some of the items that kleptomaniacs have been known to steal include:

• paperclips
• salt and pepper shakers
• chapstick
• buffet food
• candy bars

Literally, they will take anything when the urge arises, even things that make no sense to steal.

A super strange finding in one research study reveals that 65% of people suffering from kleptomania also suffer from bulimia nervosa. Though the two diseases seem to have a connection, researchers do not know exactly how they correlate with one another.

Many kleptomaniacs also duo as hoarders as well. Both disorders deal with the acquisition of objects making them a couple of the strangest diseases!

Do Kleptomaniacs Feel Remorse?

Yes. Healthline suggests that many people with this disorder do feel guilty about stealing, yet continue to do so. Without medical intervention, they cannot resist the urge to steal.

Treatment for Kleptomania

Though doctors do not know how to cure this disorder, they use the following methods to treat it:

• counseling
• behavioral therapy geared towards impulse control
• systematic desensitization
• medications such as Prozac and Revia

This condition requires more research to help improve treatment options and prevent the disease.

How to Protect Yourself

If your loved one suffers from this disease, take measures to protect yourself and your belongings including:

• locking up your valuables and anything meaningful to you
• installing a security system (more info on that available here)
• urging them to seek help
• seeing a counselor to talk through your own feelings about it

Though you feel violated, know it is not personal when kleptomaniacs steal. Simply protect yourself and your feelings.

Strange Klepto Stories

Of course, this unusual condition makes its way into headlines! Here are a few crazy and real klepto stories.

Stealing Starlit

News sources reported that beloved celebrity, Megan Fox, worth an estimated $8 million, got caught lifting a $7 lipgloss from Walmart! She has a record of stealing little things and seems to suffer from Kleptomania. With that much money, why do people steal, other than the disorder?

Shoplifting for Science

According to a Fox News report, a Wyoming woman caught stealing $2,000 worth of merchandise, fought the charge with the excuse that she was studying kleptomania. Now that’s a woman dedicated to her research- if only the judge saw things that way.

Pocketing Putin

Apparently, Vladimir Putin, the Russian dictator, enjoys publically pocketing things from time to time. News reports reveal a range of accusations. For instance, he pocketed Robert Kraft’s super bowl ring.

Another time, it’s said that Putin ordered his guards to grab him a glass weapon filled with vodka on display at the Guggenheim Museum, and he simply walked out with it. So, if you ever find yourself in a room with this insanely rich Russian powerhouse, hide your valuables; Putin doesn’t play fair.

Weird Theft Facts

The following thefts were not necessarily committed by kleptomaniacs, but I’d argue that there is a good chance some of these bizarre bandits do.

• Somebody pillaged pee, 17 vials of it, from a health facility in Utah.
• A British news source reported a life-sized ET going missing from a woman’s home. Aliens or klepto?
• NPR reported on a Nutella heist at Columbia University. These ivy league thieves reportedly steal about $5,000 of Nutella a week by filling cups and some blatantly taking full jars.
• Flute player, Edwin Rist, stole an estimated 300 tropical bird skins from Tring’s National Museum of History.
• USA Today reported that 40% of office employees catch somebody stealing their pens. We steal pens so often, that we see it as something that happens rather than an actual theft.

Read More Weird Stuff

You’re basically a klepto expert at this point, but we do not recommend furthering your “Why Do People Steal?” research in the way the Wyoming woman did; things did not go great for her in court. But do read more!

For more weird stories, check out our page on weird health!

Weirdomatic is the place where all weird things come to life through the amazing world of photographs – a corner of our wild imagination or the whimsical face of the reality?