Kleptomania is described as a failure to resist impulses to steal objects not needed, with increasing tension before and pleasure after stealing, and not an expression of anger or a delusion. Which disorder is this?

• A. Antisocial Personality Disorder
• B. Kleptomania
• C. Manic or Hypomanic Episode
• D. Ordinary Theft

Answer: (B)

Kleptomania is an impulse-control disorder defined by a recurrent failure to resist impulses to steal objects not needed for personal use or their monetary value, accompanied by increasing tension before the act and pleasure or relief after stealing. The description fits this pattern exactly: the person experiences growing tension before stealing and then a sense of gratification after the act, with the theft not driven by anger or a delusional belief. This distinguishes it from other disorders. For example, antisocial personality disorder involves a broader pattern of disregard for laws and rights with often planned or instrumental theft, rather than a sudden impulse with tension-relief dynamics. A manic or hypomanic episode can feature impulsivity, but the core phenomenon of repetitive, irresistible theft to relieve tension is not what defines those mood episodes. Ordinary theft implies a motive of material gain or practical theft, not an impulse-control failure with the specific tension-relief pattern. Thus the described disorder is kleptomania.