Buying Behavior: A Need or a Disorder - Essay Example

Buying behavior: A need or a disorder? Over the years, there has been a wide debate as to what exactly obsessive compulsive disorder is and whether kleptomania is a part of it or a distinct disorder. Kleptomania is defined as having the following characteristics: unable to resist the urge to steal things that are of no use to a person, extreme tension just before stealing and relief when committing the crime. The stealing act is not to show any rebellion or a response to any delusion. (Grant) I chose this topic because kleptomania is a growing phenomenon and it is comorbid with many other diseases such as gambling and depression. It is also an aspect that has been given little importance over the years even though it is a pressing reality that needs to be paid heed to in relation to obsessive compulsive disorder. Stealing by kleptomaniacs is of objects that are not necessarily valuable. The objects that a kleptomaniac steals are disposed off, hoarded, given away or returned. Even though they do not consume the object or steal it for any personal gain, they feel guilty or depressed soon after the feeling of relief that accompanies the stealing. Studies show that mostly kleptomaniacs are women and the onset of this disease is in adolescence or in an even younger age. Majority of kleptomaniacs steal from stores and like most people with an obsessive compulsive disorder, they fail at stopping their misdemeanor and experience gratification on committing the act. Mostly they are just chided for their behavior but at times they are jailed. Also, it is very different from the term ‘shoplifting’ because shoplifters steal for some gain and they actually consume the object rather than suffer from some psychological dysfunction that compels them to steal. Hence, shoplifters are fully liable for their actions because they have full control over themselves. (Grant) Also in the case of kleptomaniacs, treatment is necessary to overcome this disorder instead of punishing because the person with the disorder is also helpless in the face of his obsessive compulsion. Also called “pathological stealing,” it is not the person’s fault that they commit crime, unlike thieves who may use this excuse to get out of jail or evade any other punishment. There is a disconnect between their brain’s processing of information and the neural messenger of the brain, serotonin, which is lower in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder. There are many treatments for this disease but one cannot be sure that the treatment is working and it needs to be implemented over long periods of time. All those who steal for some purpose are merely just thieves because their intent is to consume or otherwise make use of the value of the object. (Kleptomania) The degrees of OCD and kleptomania vary from individual to individual. On one end, people with OCD can carry on living without anybody realizing and they have certain compulsions which they deal with in privacy. Others go through more frequent lapses, with periods of remission in between. This disease as others affects family members and they have to become involved to keep a check on their loved ones. Not many people have OCD but for those who do, about 10% experience this disorder as being a deterrent to anything they do. They build up rituals that do not make sense and that only brings a temporary sense of relief so that they need to keep gratifying themselves by indulging in that act again and again. And if this disorder is not dealt with, it may continue forever. (Zamula) There are also many different kinds of OCD. Such as kleptomania, there are people who may indulge in obsessive hoarding including hoarding of animals, impulse buying etc. And even though there are predetermined symptoms that help in diagnosing this disorder or recognizing it, there a great deal of subtle symptoms as well that many people would display. Thus, family members should keep an eye out for eccentric behavior that could lead to pointing out this disorder. Furthermore, it is also not a cultural disorder but a global one. (Zamula) 20% of people with OCD have a family background in this disorder, especially those with severe cases of OCD. Even though the act committed may be different, for example one may hoard items of little value and another one may hoard animals. However, they would both have the compulsion to steal and hoard objects or discard them away. Another factor previously discussed is the dysfunctionality of the brain in processing and transmitting information to other parts of the body. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that regulates many bodily activities including repetitive behavior and obsessive behavior and is found to be low in people with OCD. Positron emission tomography (PET), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans have shown that people with this disorder have a certain abnormality in the frontal lobe of their brain. This leads to an overactive brain that needs to be overly meticulous and be excessively concerned if something does not happen in a particular way. (Zamula) Moreover patients with OCD display neurological signs. 20% have some sort of eccentric behavior that they display during their act or prior or post it. It has been labeled as an illness as well. And another factor that plays a role in its emergence is environmental in nature that triggers the disease that is inherently present. One may treat OCD but every patient is different and needs to be dealt differently. There is not any one cure that will rehabilitate all patients. (Zamula) There are several techniques to approach OCD and help resolve it. Researchers believe that rather than the psychotherapy that many people prefer, behavioral therapy works better. In this therapy session, the individual is made to confront what he or she is afraid of and then their usual reaction to it is curbed. For example, if they are kleptomaniacs they would usually steal but therapists would prevent this from happening in that setting. When patients start realizing with the encouragement of the therapist that nothing awful will happen if they do not indulge in certain behaviors, they will not experience that much anxiety and stress on not committing an act as they did before. For those on whom the therapy is successful, the disorder seems to remit within a matter of weeks. (Zamula) Drugs can also be used to increase the level of serotonin; however drugs take time to counter the disorder and also have side effects. Since it is an individualistic disease, doses and duration of medicines vary from person to person. A combination of both seems to be the most effective cure because there are not only biochemical factors, but also environmental circumstances that trigger this disease. (Zamula) Conclusion There are codes in states such as the State of California that indicate that lunatics, idiots and insane people are not capable of registering their actions and therefore are not responsible for their actions; so no matter how many crimes they commit, how many items they steal or hoard, they should not be punished because they are not aware of their actions or their consequences. However, there is an ongoing debate as to whether this argument for defense in the form of plea for insanity should prevail, since many sane people without the disorder also file for it and get away with numerous heinous actions while the actual victims are disproven and punished. States should come up with a fool proof system to determine who is actually liable for their actions and who is not. (Wilbur) Many diseases seem to overlap in DSM model; in OCD, one may either count or not count kleptomania as they have many similarities as well as many differences. Compulsive shopping disorder is also another factor but in this case patients buy a great deal of things and are high in debt rather than stealing them. This is more based on impulse than obsession. Whatever the case may be, those with kleptomania indulge in shopping for baseless reasons and they are helpless. So the reason why they buy is really unknown to an extent apart from genetics and the environment. They may accumulate or discard what they gain and only temporarily view it as a gain. This is a viable topic for further research to find out why exactly people steal and hoard and what exactly can be done to stop them from doing so. Lastly, they need to be shown that if they do not indulge in their repetitive behavior, no harm will befall them and gradually as they are guided, they might begin to feel more comfortable without engaging in compulsive behaviors. Bibliography Grant, Jon E. "Understanding and Treating Kleptomania: New Models and New Treatments." The Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences (2006): 81+. "Kleptomania." Manila Bulletin (2005). Wilbur, Hon. D. "Should Insanity Defense to criminal charge be abolished." Hein (1922). Zamula, Evelyn. "Drug Treatment Tames Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder." FDA Consumer (1992): 6+. Read More