The urge to steal: Kleptomania and compulsive theft

Audacious with Chion Wolf

Some people help others overcome their urge to steal through research and understanding, while others draw from personal experience.

Meet a Yale psychiatry professor specializing in impulse control disorders like kleptomania. We'll also hear from a therapist and a coach who were once addicted to stealing themselves and are now dedicated to helping others overcome this compulsion.

Resources:

• If you're struggling with any mental health issues, you can always call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Their free, confidential helpline is open 24/7 in English and Spanish at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
• CASA (Cleptomaniacs and Shoplifters Anonymous, LLC) - a self-help group founded by Terrence Shulman

Suggested episodes:

• Anorexia is complex. Two people talk frankly about their decades-long journeys
• Full house: The line between collecting, clutter, and hoarding disorder
• Fighting for truth: The struggle to overcome pathological lying
• Faking it: Munchausen syndrome and the compulsion to be ill

GUESTS:

• Dr. Marc Potenza: Steven M. Southwick Professor of Psychiatry and Professor in the Child Study Center and of Neuroscience. His research has focused on the neurobiology and treatment of addictions and other disorders characterized by impaired impulse control
• Tabitha Farrar: Developed anorexia nervosa and kleptomania as a teenager. She is the author of many books, including, Rehabilitate, Rewire, Recover!: Anorexia recovery for the determined adult
• Terrence Shulman: Author, lawyer, licensed clinician, and founder of The Shulman Center for Compulsive Theft, Spending & Hoarding. He is the founder of the support group, Cleptomaniacs And Shoplifters Anonymous, and CEO of unsteal.org, a website that helps people send money back to stores they've stolen from

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