Study: Medication may help kleptomaniacs

MINNEAPOLIS, April 4 (UPI) -- A drug commonly used to treat alcohol and drug addiction appears to also curb compulsive behaviors of kleptomaniacs, U.S. researchers said.

Scientists at the University of Minnesota say they found that treatment with the drug naltrexone appears to blocks the part of the brain that feels pleasure when kleptomaniacs steal. The medication has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of alcohol and opiate dependency.

Science Daily reported Friday that the University of Minnesota Medical School's Department of Psychiatry double-blind study of 25 men and women ages 17 to75, who spent an average of at least one hour a week stealing, found that those who took the drug naltrexone reported a decline in stealing behavior compared with those taking placebo.

"It gets rid of that rush and desire," said Dr. Jon Grant, a University of Minnesota associate professor of psychiatry and principal investigator of the study. "The difference in their behavior was significant, and these people were really troubled by their behavior."

Grant said while naltrexone, sold under the brand names Revia and Depad, is not a cure for kleptomania, it offers hope to those who are suffering from a compulsion to steal.

"These are people who steal even though they can easily afford not to," Grant was quoted as saying.