Three women in Nanjing have had their Impulse Control Disorders revealed to the world, thanks to surveillance cameras that caught the surprisingly well-off ladies stealing from the city’s shopping malls if for no other reason than seeking stimulation.
A probe by Nanjing Police found the three suspicious women when they were called in by a number of shopping malls in the city to assist in explaining missing stock.
Found to all dress smartly, the three ladies purport to go shopping as a group, while also making attempts at covering each other’s theft.
The seasoned-criminal mob has been linked to a dozen cases since September of last year, with thefts of goods totalling more than ¥10,000 in value.
As well-off individuals, the three were allegedly just “looking for excitement”, reports The Paper, a media outlet which also on 31 January released some of the surveillance footage of the ladies committing their crimes.
Police have taken criminal measures against the three, for their display of what amounts to textbook kleptomania.
The under-diagnosed disorder, in which sufferers feel an irresistible urge to steal items for reasons other than need or for financial gain, is also associated with alcohol and substance abuse, anxiety and eating disorders.
Today, the condition is more often displayed by children, rather than Nanjing’s well-off, middle-aged female shopaholics with little to fill their days. Those diagnosed with kleptomania often display high levels of stress, guilt and remorse as a result of their acts of stealing.
According to the Mayo Clinic, there is at present no cure for the condition, while, “many people with kleptomania live lives of secret shame because they’re afraid to seek mental health treatment”.
On the other hand, there are more skeptical views within the psychiatry profession, namely that kleptomania is merely a theoretical concept put forward by the lawyers of wealthy female shoplifters when executing their defence in court.
