title: Kleptomania: clinical features and comorbidity in an Italian sample.
abstract: Kleptomania, listed in DSM-IV as an impulse control disorder not elsewhere classified, is a psychiatric condition still poorly understood and subject of only a few systematic studies. The aim of this research was, therefore, to evaluate the clinical features and comorbidity of Italian patients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of kleptomania. Twenty outpatients with a lifetime diagnosis of kleptomania by DSM-IV criteria, were included in the study and underwent a specially designed semistructured interview and the Family History Research Diagnostic Criteria. The majority of patients reported an early and abrupt onset and an episodic course of the disorder, with no gender preponderance. Lifetime comorbidity for other axis I disorders was high, in particular for mood, anxiety, and impulse control disorders. Family history also showed a high prevalence of psychiatric disorders. Our study indicates clear connections between kleptomania and different psychiatric disorders, the exact nature of which has yet to be clarified.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Neurobiologia, Farmacologia e Biotecnologie, University of Pisa, via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Presta
authors.forename: Donatella
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Marazziti
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dell'Osso
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pfanner
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pallanti
authors.forename: Giovanni B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Cassano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D007174:Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors