[CASE] Kleptomania or Malingering? A Case Report (original) (raw)

The essential feature for the diagnosis of kleptomania is a recurrent failure to resist impulses to steal items, even though those items are not needed for personal use, or for their monetary value. The individual experiences an increasing sense of tension just prior to the theft and feels pleasure, gratification, or relief when committing the theft. These patients are usually referred to psychiatry for the evaluation of criminal liability by a court order. It is always important to take into account the court file on the basis of the act defined, not on the basis of the mental disorder of the subject. When shoplifting is the case, malingering must be ruled out firstly even if the subject has a previously confirmed diagnosis of kleptomania. Here we present a different case of kleptomania who was referred to us by a court order to determine her criminal liability for shoplifting.