From time to time in medical and judicial practice register theft cases which do not pursue the aim to possess some concrete thing, and to derive pleasure from the process. Statistically, the real kleptomaniacs are not much, and here of those who for them give themselves, wishing to avoid punishment, there is quite enough. So who such kleptomaniac – in this article.
What does the kleptomaniac mean?
The kleptomaniac is mentally unhealthy person who has morbid impulse to theft. This term appeared at the beginning of the 19th century when at the French psychiatric school studied so-called a monomania. It was supposed that there is a hidden communication between souls' ailment and painful bents, for example, to an arson, a suicide, murder, etc. And kleptomania was considered as a monomania which was characterized by bent to steal. Interest in this monomania does not cease still because the cases of theft of the things which are not of special value made quite respectable and, above all, wealthy citizens continue to excite the public and to cause bewilderment.
In risk group there are following persons:
- Paralytics, that is having progressive paralysis. This disease long time proceeds without strong indications of organic damage of a brain, that is people around can not notice decrease in mental capacities of the person. When after a while insanity becomes obvious, all understand that the passion for theft is a consequence of these processes.
- Those who is interested that is meant by the kleptomaniac can answer that such faces are subject to incidental aberration. That is the most part of time they remain normal people, but from time to time in the same way repeat the same actions.
- Faces with small degree of weak-mindedness are also considered in the context of value of kleptomania. Such pathology is evident not at once, but unlike healthy people these persons cannot inhibit in themselves desire to appropriate others as at their consciousness for this purpose there is no rather constraining force.
How to distinguish the kleptomaniac?
It is almost impossible to make it as there are no external signs by which it would be possible to determine such sincerely sick person. Can be him both the housemaid, and quite successful businessman. Many parents at whom the child was caught on theft, think that he is a kleptomaniac, but it not so. Children and teenagers do it for the sake of interest. So they check borders of legal. Happens that there is enough unique instructive conversation that cases of theft stopped.
There are sexy kleptomaniacs who thus realize the unconscious sexual desires. Most often intimate things of other people, for example, underwear become an object of their passion. The kleptomaniac derives pleasure from the process, from risk and a thought that it was not caught. He always works one and is off to commit criminal act not every day, but if long does not steal, suffers from feeling of discomfort. He can understand that he does something illegal, to suffer pangs of conscience and alarm, but he is not able to cope with painful draft.
Today the thieves saying that they are kleptomaniacs are subjected to obligatory medical examination. The expert defines presence of this pathology by a comprehensive investigation of cases of theft and only after that draws the conclusion. The king of France Heinrich the fourth who after perfect theft returned things to the owners was the most famous kleptomaniac, it is frank laughing at them.