too much focus on Head Injury?
bak...@yahoo.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleptomania
There is a reference:
Aizer A, Lowengrub K, Dannon PN (2004). "Kleptomania after head
trauma: two case reports and combination treatment strategies".
Clinical neuropharmacology 27
http://ljfind.com/post/57031263/
My Comment:
The two case reports may not be Kleptomaniacs but showed 'utilization
behavior' associated with frontal lobe injury. It has been reported
that patients with frontal damage shows this utilization behavior but
should not be confused with Kleptomaniacs.
Following are some links to prove my point:
Shows relationship between bulemia with Kleptomania
http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic810.htm
http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.eating.html
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 1992 Sep;31(5):810-818
Psychiatric comorbidity in treatment-seeking anorexics and bulimics.
Herzog DB, Keller MB, Sacks NR, Yeh CJ, Lavori PW
Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114.
Current and lifetime psychiatric diagnoses were compared in 229
female
patients seeking treatment for current episodes of anorexia nervosa
(N
= 41), bulimia nervosa (N = 98) and mixed anorexia nervosa and
Schizophrenia-Lifetime Version, which was modified to include a
section for DSM-III-R eating disorders, the Longitudinal Interval
Follow-up Evaluation, and the Structured Interview for DSM-III
Personality Disorders. Seventy-three percent of the anorexia nervosa
subjects, 60% of the bulimia nervosa subjects, and 82% of the mixed
anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa subjects had a current comorbid
Axis I diagnosis. Major depression was the most commonly diagnosed
comorbid disorder. Low rates of alcohol and substances abuse disorder
were diagnosed, and personality disorder occurred in a minority of
the
sample. The subjects with mixed disorder manifested a higher lifetime
prevalence of kleptomania than either the anorexics or the bulimics.
High levels of comorbidity were noted across the eating disorder
samples. Mixed disorder subjects manifested the most comorbid
psychopathology and especially warrant further study.
http://www.crimetimes.org/01c/w01cp6.htm
Case study: Kleptomania points to frontal dysfunction
Two Swiss clinicians cite one of their cases as evidence that
"kleptomania is a rare variant of impulse-control disorder that can
be
caused by right orbitomedial prefrontal damage."
Thomas Nyffeler and Marianne Regard say their patient, a 32-year-old
man, developed kleptomania weeks after undergoing an operation at age
13 to remove a tumor. Prior to the surgery, they say, "the patient
had
never had an impulse to steal or to plan a theft." He also showed
evidence of post-surgery deficits in concentration, visual
processing,
and conceptual thinking, as well as abnormal talkativeness and
preoccupations. Despite hospitalizations and treatment with serotonin
reuptake inhibitors (which appear to reduce kleptomania in some
cases), the man continued to steal pencils, stamps, and other items
of
little value, and was arrested and convicted several times. Medical
evaluation, the researchers say, revealed impairments consistent with
right hemisphere frontotemporal dysfunction.
The researchers say that clinical findings by other researchers
"suggest that disruptions of orbitomedial prefrontal circuits
constitute a predisposing factor for the development of disorders of
the compulsive-addictive spectrum, such as kleptomania." They note
that damage to this area is also associated with "utilization
behavior", in which patients feel compelled to grasp and use objects
they see (for instance, an ashtray or pencil lying on a table).
"We argue," the researchers say, "that kleptomania is a rare variant
of impulse-control disorder that can be caused by right orbitomedial
prefrontal damage," possibly involving altered neurotransmitter
function.
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