kleptomania
/ˌklɛptə(ʊ)ˈmeɪnɪə
/noun [mass noun]
A recurrent urge to steal, typically without regard for need or profit.People with kleptomania often have another psychiatric disorder, often a mood disorder such as depression and anxiety....
- Although ordinary acts of theft or shoplifting can be deliberate, motivated by a need, a desire, peer pressure, or rebellion, in extremely rare cases, a person who steals may have kleptomania.
- Under the psychotherapist/patient privilege, a patient trying to address his kleptomania in therapy could reveal that he stole a computer from his office, and the psychiatrist could not testify about that revelation in court.
Derivatives
kleptomaniac
- Research suggests that even with multiple convictions, kleptomaniacs typically battle the disorder for years.
- Often a kleptomaniac person steals things he could have bought easily or things that are not at all expensive.
- I would say that she's not so much a kleptomaniac as a generally chaotic person.
Origin
Mid 19th century: from Greek kleptēs 'thief' + -mania.