Kleptomania is the condition of not being able to resist the urge to collect or hoard things. People with this disorder are compelled to steal things, generally objects of little or no significant value, such as pens, paper clips, tape, traffic cones, signs, mascara, drugs and small toys. Some kleptomaniacs may not even be aware that they have committed the theft. Kleptomania was first officially recognized in the US as a mental disorder in the 1960s in the case of the state of California v. Douglas Jones. Kleptomania is distinguished from shoplifting or ordinary theft, as shoplifters and thieves generally steal for monetary value, or associated gains and...more »