Sexual relationships of patients with kleptomania

Kleptomania, a disorder of impulse control in which the patients feel a compelling urge to steal objects of no value to them, has long been considered a disorder related in some fashion to sexual impulses. Recent advances in the clinical understanding of human sexual functioning have not been accompanied by an effort to refine our thinking about its relationship to kleptomania. Research is hampered by the relative rarity of the disorder and the propensity of patients to avoid seeking professional help. Consequently, the available literature is restricted to case studies or small series that fail to differentiate between kleptomania and other forms of shoplifting. This paper describes the six patients I have seen with the primary diagnosis of kleptomania; all had dysfunctional sexual relationships. The sole male patient was a homosexual, and compulsively promiscuous. Sexual counseling and/or therapy may provide an additional method for treating this difficult disorder.