Diagnosis

When you decide to seek treatment for symptoms of possible kleptomania, you may have both a physical and psychological evaluation. The physical evaluation can determine if there may be any medical causes triggering your symptoms.

Kleptomania is diagnosed based on your signs and symptoms. Because it's a type of impulse control disorder, to help pinpoint a diagnosis, your doctor may:

• Ask questions about your impulses and how they make you feel
• Review a list of situations to ask if these situations trigger your kleptomania episodes
• Have you fill out psychological questionnaires or self-assessments
• Use the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association