EMERGENCE OF KLEPTOMANIA DURING TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION WITH SEROTONIN SELECTIVE REUPTAKE INHIBITORS

Kleptomania, one of the rare impulse-control disorders, is characteriz ed by an irresistible impulse to steal objects not needed for personal use or monetary value. There is a comorbidity between mood disorders, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, and klept omania. Several recent case reports have suggested that serotonin reup take inhibitors could be effective in the treatment of obsessive-compu lsive spectrum disorders and specifically in kleptomania. We describe three depressed patients who paradoxically experienced kleptomanic beh avior during treatment with serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors.