Schizophrenia and kleptomania: a case report--a biological link?

This case of co-morbidity of schizophrenia and kleptomania in a 21-year-old Chinese man is believed to be the first reported. In kleptomania, loss of impulse control seems to be the central disturbance. The neurotransmitter serotonin has been proposed to be important in impulse control. The role of serotonin in schizophrenia is also briefly reviewed and an abnormality in serotonergic neurotransmission is proposed to be a possible link between these two conditions.