Pathological theft

Introduction There is a growing sense of tension before the action, and there is a sense of satisfaction in stealing and immediately following the theft. Although patients often try to conceal stealing, they do not seize every opportunity. Theft was carried out alone, without accomplices. Intermittent periods of shoplifting (or other locations) may show anxiety, frustration, and guilt, but this does not prevent him from repeating such behavior. It is not uncommon to only meet these descriptions, rather than cases that are secondary to one of the following obstacles.

Cause

There are currently no identified causes.

Physiological reports indicate that compulsive theft may be caused by some organic causes, such as tumors, epilepsy, dementia, or drugs.

Psychodynamically, most studies have pointed out that most of these patients have unpleasant or abnormal childhood, and this compulsive theft is to regain the sense of loss in childhood, so this behavior symbolically satisfies the subconscious impulse. , hope, or conflict, and these impulses or hopes may be events about sex or being abused, while the act of stealing is to split the image of self-obsessed.

an examination

Related inspection

Electroencephalogram examination

Clinical manifestations:

The reasons for patients' visits are mostly due to the court's referral or treatment of other diseases. They found that they have impulsive and forced stealing. The reason for stealing is not for personal gain, but for the reduction of their own pressure. Some people are stealing. There will be a pleasant feeling. They dont plan in advance, they dont think of breaking the law, theyre just an impulsive act, but they know that such behavior is wrong, there will be guilt and shame, and they will rarely say it to others. Suppressing impulsive behavior will avoid some places that may allow him to steal, so he may not even go shopping at all, leading to social isolation. Patients who steal thieves have a higher chance of combining emotional psychosis, anxiety, and eating abnormalities, and often have sexual dysfunction.

Differential diagnosis

Kleptomania:

Repeated impulses to steal items that he doesn't need or have no value will feel considerable pressure before the action, but when you act, you will feel happy, satisfied and relaxed. The purpose of stealing is not to express anger, revenge, but also Not because of delusions and hallucinations, but not because of conduct disorder, hysteria, or antisocial personality.

Pathological gambling:

It is an impulse to refuse gambling, continuous and repeated gambling behavior, whether it will cause serious deterioration of family, personal, occupation, common performance has always thought of gambling (always live in the past gambling experience, has been calculating Draw the next adventure, always want to find out the money to gamble); want to use gambling to make money to achieve the excitement of personal expectations; repeatedly hope to control gambling, quit gambling, but can not succeed; try to gamble or stop When gambling, there will be anxiety and difficulty in sitting; use gambling to escape stress or reduce depression (such as helplessness, sin, anxiety and depression); after losing money, usually find a way to get back to the book; Concealing the extent of gambling involvement in the family; it may be illegal to falsify, deceive, steal, embezzle or misappropriate public funds for gambling; lose important relationships, education and work opportunities because of gambling; rely on others to provide money to alleviate Its desperate economic pressure.

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