International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research

Int. J. Methods Psychiatr. Res. 15(2): 83–94 (2006)

Published online 20 March 2006 in Wiley InterScience
(www.interscience.wiley.com) DOI: 10.1002/mpr.24

A Structured Clinical Interview for

Kleptomania (SCI-K): preliminary validity and
reliability testing
JON E. GRANT,1 SUCK WON KIM,1 JAMES S. MCCABE1*

1 Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota USA

Abstract
Kleptomania presents difficulties in diagnosis for clinicians. This study aimed to develop and test a DSM-IV-based diag-
nostic instrument for kleptomania. To assess for current kleptomania the Structured Clinical Interview for Kleptomania
(SCI-K) was administered to 112 consecutive subjects requesting psychiatric outpatient treatment for a variety of disorders.
Reliability and validity were determined. Classification accuracy was examined using the longitudinal course of illness.
The SCI-K demonstrated excellent test-retest (Phi coefficient = 0.956 (95% CI = 0.937, 0.970)) and inter-rater reliability
(phi coefficient = 0.718 (95% CI = 0.506, 0.848)) in the diagnosis of kleptomania. Concurrent validity was observed
with a self-report measure using DSM-IV kleptomania criteria (phi coefficient = 0.769 (95% CI = 0.653, 0.850)). Dis-
criminant validity was observed with a measure of depression (point biserial coefficient = -0.020 (95% CI = -0.205,
0.166)). The SCI-K demonstrated both high sensitivity and specificity based on longitudinal assessment. The SCI-K
demonstrated excellent reliability and validity in diagnosing kleptomania in subjects presenting with various psychiatric
problems. These findings require replication in larger groups, including non-psychiatric populations, to examine their
generalizability. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Key words: kleptomania, impulse control, diagnosis, structured clinical interview

Introduction • recurrent failure to resist an impulse to steal

Although kleptomania was first officially designated a unneeded objects;
psychiatric disorder in 1980 in DSM-III, it has been • an increasing sense of tension before committing
discussed in the medical literature for almost 200 years the theft;
(Goldman, 1991; McElroy et al., 1991). Currently clas- • an experience of pleasure, gratification or release at
sified in DSM-IV with impulse control disorders, the the time of committing the theft; and
current DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for kleptomania • the stealing is not performed out of anger, venge-
reflect the urge-driven quality of the behaviour: ance, or due to psychosis (APA, 2000).

*None of the authors have any employment, consultancy, ownership in, or any close relationship with any organization whose inter-
ests, financial or otherwise may be affected by the publication of this paper. All authors have contributed to the conception and
design, analysis and interpretation of data, drafting the article and revising it critically for important intellectual content and final
approval of this version.

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

84 Grant et al.

The prevalence of kleptomania remains unknown, but • the Structured Clinical Interview for Kleptomania
a recent study of psychiatric inpatients with multiple (SCI-K) (appendix);
disorders revealed that kleptomania may in fact be • the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D
fairly common. The study of 204 adult psychiatric 17-item version) (Hamilton, 1960); and
inpatients in the US found that 7.8% (n = 16) endorsed • a thorough clinical interview using DSM-IV criteria
current symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of klep- and assessing for primary Axis I disorders as well as
tomania and 9.3% (n = 19) had a lifetime diagnosis borderline personality disorder and antisocial per-
of kleptomania (Grant et al., 2005). In addition, sonality disorder.
kleptomania appeared equally common in patients
with mood, anxiety, substance-use, or psychotic disor- A random subset of the subjects (n = 71) was adminis-
ders. These findings are further supported by two tered a self-report version of the DSM-IV inclusion
French studies that found current rates of 3.7% among criteria for kleptomania at entry and at the second visit.
107 inpatients with depression (Lejoyeux et al., 2002) The institutional review board of the two hospitals
and 3.8% in 79 inpatients with alcohol dependence approved the study. After a complete description of the
(Lejoyeux et al., 1999). These studies suggest that study, all subjects provided written informed consent.
kleptomania may be fairly common; however, the The SCI-K consists of nine probe and additional
shame and embarrassment associated with stealing may follow-up questions (five probes for inclusionary criteria
prevent a large number of people from voluntarily and four for exclusionary criteria) reflecting DSM-IV
reporting kleptomania symptoms (Grant and Kim, criteria. A diagnosis of kleptomania is made if all five
2002). inclusionary questions and the four exclusionary items
Although kleptomania is associated with impaired (not due to anger/vengeance, psychosis, mania, or anti-
functioning and poor quality of life (Grant and Kim, social personality disorder) are answered affirmatively.
2005) there is some indication that both clinicians and Therefore, once a subject answered ‘no’ to any question
researchers fail to screen for or diagnose the disorder in the SCI-K, the interview was ended as the diagnosis
(Goldman, 1991). This failure to diagnose kleptomania requires affirmative answers to all questions. In the case
may stem in part from the lack of a DSM-IV-based of inter-rater reliability, subjects were asked all ques-
diagnostic instrument for kleptomania. In addition, tions regardless of the answers. For the diagnostic cri-
kleptomania presents many difficult considerations teria of ‘recurrent impulses’, subjects were asked if they
concerning differential diagnosis (Grant and Kim, had ‘urges’, ‘cravings’, or ‘drive’ to steal. These terms
2002) and therefore a structured interview may opti- were not operationalized. Subjects met the threshold
mize accurate assessment of kleptomania behaviour. for this criterion only if there was an obvious craving
The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) or urge state associated with their stealing based on
(First et al., 1995), a widely used diagnostic instrument, clinician judgement. Subjects were administered the
currently lacks a module for kleptomania. SCI-K prior to the other measures. The self-report
version listed DSM-IV kleptomania criteria A, B, and
Aims of the Study C verbatim and without elaboration. Subjects were
The goal of this study was to develop a SCID-compat- asked to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ as to whether each criterion
ible, DSM-IV-based instrument for kleptomania and described their behaviour.
examine validity and reliability in subjects presenting Test-retest reliability was assessed in 112 subjects
with various psychiatric disorders. (Table 1). Test-retest reliability was performed at two
consecutive time points (mean (SD) = 17.8 (20.9) days).
Material and methods Inter-rater reliability was assessed in a random group of
The following were administered to 112 consecutive 35 subjects (Table 1). Ratings were based on a single
subjects (Table 1) seeking either pharmacotherapy or interview with one clinician administering the SCI-K
psychotherapy treatment in an outpatient psychiatric and another observing and rating the subject.
clinic at a public university academic centre (n = 29) Scale item internal consistency was calculated using
or at a specialty clinic for impulse control disorders at Cronbach’s alpha. To assess inter-rater and test-retest
a private psychiatric hospital (n = 83), at entry into the reliability of the scale’s diagnosis of kleptomania (klep-
study and at the next follow-up visit: tomania versus non-kleptomania), we calculated phi

Int. J. Methods Psychiatr. Res. 15(2): 83–94 (2006)

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd DOI: 10.1002/mpr
 A Structured Clinical Interview for Kleptomania 85

Table 1.  Subject demographics and clinical characteristics

Test-retest Inter-rater Concurrent Longitudinal

reliability reliability sample validity sample assessment
sample (n = 35) (n = 71) (n = 46)
(n = 112)

Age
Mean (±SD) years 39.7 (11.9) 36.9 (9.3) 37.8 (10.4) 37.2 (6.6)
Gender: n (%)
Male 44 (39.3) 12 (34.3) 27 (38.0) 22 (47.8)
Female 68 (60.7) 23 (65.7) 44 (62.0) 24 (52.2)
Marital status: n (%)
Single 55 (49.2) 16 (45.7) 30 (42.3) 19 (41.3)
Married 28 (25.0)   8 (22.9) 18 (25.4) 16 (34.8)
Divorced/separated/widowed 29 (25.9) 11 (31.4) 23 (32.4) 11 (23.9)
Race
White 97 (86.6) 32 (91.4) 61 (85.9) 44 (95.7)
Black 11 (9.8)   3 (8.6)   8 (11.3)   2 (4.3)
Latino   2 (1.8)   0 (0)   1 (1.4)   0 (0)
Asian   1 (0.9)   0 (0)   0 (0)   0 (0)
Native American   1 (0.9)   0 (0)   1 (0.4)   0 (0)
Education
Less than high school 20 (17.9)   2 (5.7)   7 (9.9)   1 (2.2)
High school graduate 60 (53.6) 24 (68.6) 48 (67.6) 31 (67.4)
Some college 21 (18.8)   6 (17.1) 11 (15.5)   9 (19.6)
College graduate   8 (7.1)   2 (5.7)   3 (4.2)   5 (10.9)
College +   3 (2.7)   1 (2.9)   2 (2.8)   0 (0)

coefficients using the Pearson product moment correla- kleptomania. Neither the wording nor the concepts
tion formula. For individual item correlations we deter- were difficult for the subjects to understand.
mined kappa coefficients for inter-rater reliabilities.
Concurrent validity was measured using phi coeffi- Reliability
cients (using the Pearson product moment correlation The internal consistency of the nine items (Cronbach’s
formula) with the self-report measure of DSM-IV Alpha = 0.964 (95% CI = 0.953, 0.973)), the five-item
criteria. Discriminant validity was assessed against the inclusionary criteria domain (Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.932
HAM-D using point biserial coefficients. (95% CI = 0.910, 0.950)), and the four-item exclusionary
Classification accuracy was assessed by examining domain (Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.979 (95% CI = 0.972,
sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predic- 0.985)) were examined.
tive values based on longitudinal courses of a random Test-retest reliability (phi coefficient = 0.956 (95% CI
sample of 46 subjects who continued to seek treatment = 0.937, 0.970)) was determined for the diagnosis of klep-
from the first author in his specialty clinic for impulse tomania versus non-kleptomania using the nine-item
control disorders (Table 1). The longitudinal assess- SCI-K. The removal of criterion A3 (‘stealing items not
ment was based on clinical judgement using DSM-IV needed for their personal use or monetary value’) resulted
criteria. Mean duration of treatment for the 46 subjects in a perfect correlation (phi coefficient = 1.00).
was 212.4 (SD = 43.9) days. Inter-rater reliability for the determination of klep-
tomania versus non-kleptomania using the nine-item
Results SCI-K was good (phi coefficient = 0.718 (95% CI =
0.506, 0.848)) and it also improved with the removal of
Acceptability criterion A3 (phi coefficient = 1.00). Inter-rater reliabil-
The SCI-K took an average of 20 minutes to administer ity for the individual items of the SCI-K are presented
and was well accepted by subjects with and without in Table 2.

Int. J. Methods Psychiatr. Res. 15(2): 83–94 (2006)

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd DOI: 10.1002/mpr
86 Grant et al.

Table 2.  Inter-rater reliability of individual criteria for kleptomania

DSM-IV diagnostic criterion for kleptomania Inter-rater reliability

(n = 35)

Kappa 95% CI

A1. Recurrent impulses to steal objects 0.423 0.155, 0.691

A2. Recurrent failure to resist impulses 0.600 0.340, 0.859
A3. Stealing items not needed for personal use or monetary value 0.486 0.231, 0.741
B. Increasing sense of tension immediately before committing the theft 0.806 0.599, 1.00
C. Pleasure, gratification, or relief at the time of committing the theft 0.860 0.672, 1.00
D1. The stealing is not committed to express anger or vengeance 0.928 0.789, 1.00
D2. The stealing is not committed in response to a delusion or hallucination 0.928 0.789, 1.00
E1. Stealing behaviour not better accounted for by a manic episode 0.917 0.759, 1.00
E2. Stealing behaviour is not better accounted for by antisocial personality disorder 1.000 1.00, 1.00

Validity standard’ (Longitudinal observation by Experts using

Concurrent validity of diagnosis (kleptomania versus All available Data as sources of information) (Spitzer,
non-kleptomania) was examined by correlating the 1983), demonstrated excellent procedural validity in a
SCI-K with the self-report measure for kleptomania random sample of subjects.
using DSM criteria (first visit: phi coefficient = 0.769 As with the SCID, interviewers using the SCI-K are
(95% CI = 0.653, 0.850)); second visit: phi coefficient = encouraged to use all available information, not just the
0.890 (95% CI = 0.829, 0.930)). On the first visit there subject’s self-report, in generating ratings and determin-
were five subjects that self-reported that they are klep- ing diagnosis. Administration of the SCI-K can be
tomaniac but the SCI-K rated them as not being klep- readily learned, requires less than 20 minutes to com-
tomaniacs. On the second visit, two subjects self-reported plete for most patients with kleptomania and is gener-
that they are kleptomaniacs but the SCI-K rated them ally completed more rapidly in individuals without
as not being kleptomaniacs. kleptomania. Because shoplifting may present diagnos-
Discriminant validity of the SCI-K was examined tic difficulties (for example, the exclusionary criteria of
against the HAM-D at the first visit (point biserial a manic episode or antisocial personality disorder), some
coefficient = -0.020 (95% CI = -0.205, 0.166)) and familiarity with the phenomenology of kleptomania is
again at the second visit (point biserial coefficient = recommended for the proper use of this instrument.
-0.041 (95% CI = -0.225, 0.146)). We found that the diagnosis of kleptomania has low
correlation with symptoms of depressed mood. In this
Sensitivity and specificity study, few subjects had any notable depressive symp-
To determine classification accuracy, a diagnosis of toms. This finding is contrary to studies reporting
kleptomania using the SCI-K was compared to that elevated rates of mood disorders in patients with
using DSM-IV criteria based on longitudinal course (n kleptomania (McElroy et al., 1991; Presta et al., 2002;
= 46). The SCI-K demonstrated the following classifica- Bayle et al., 2003). This difference may be due to the
tion accuracy indices: sensitivity was 90.0%, specificity fact that there were few patients with kleptomania
was 94.0%, positive predictive value was 81.8%, and enrolled in this study, and of those enrolled, only
negative predictive value was 97.1%. current, not lifetime, mood disorders were assessed.
Furthermore, the relationship of mood disorders to
Discussion kleptomania is complicated, with some patients report-
In this study, the SCI-K demonstrated excellent test- ing that stealing elevates mood and others reporting
retest and inter-rater reliability and concurrent validity stealing causes their depressed mood (Goldman, 1991).
in the diagnosis of kleptomania in treatment-seeking This sample may not be representative of many patients
subjects. Further validity of the SCI-K using the ‘LEAD with kleptomania, and larger studies examining the

Int. J. Methods Psychiatr. Res. 15(2): 83–94 (2006)

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd DOI: 10.1002/mpr
 A Structured Clinical Interview for Kleptomania 87

relationship of stealing behaviour and mood are there- require replication in larger, more varied psychiatric
fore needed. populations to examine their generalizability. The
One item on the SCI-K (stealing items not needed evaluation of the psychometric properties of the
for personal use or their monetary value) resulted SCI-K employed in general population samples would
in lower test-retest and inter-rater reliability for also be of particular interest, and would further sub-
the diagnosis of kleptomania. This criterion has stantiate the use of the SCI-K in conjunction with the
generated controversy in diagnosing kleptomania SCID.
(Goldman, 1991). If a subject has recurrent, uncontrol-
lable impulses to steal, should the subject’s need for References
the stolen items be a defining feature of the disorder? American Psychiatric Association. APA: Diagnostic and
For example, if a subject steals something that she Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition –
wants in order to reduce the impulse to steal, she Text Revision. Washington DC: American Psychiatric
does not meet criteria for kleptomania under DSM-IV. Association, 2000.
In fact, that person would have no disorder Bayle FJ, Caci H, Millet B, Richa S, Olie JP. Psychopathology
and comorbidity of psychiatric disorders in patients with
under DSM-IV, and yet clinically there would appear
kleptomania. Am J Psychiatry 2003; 160: 1509–13.
to be some problem with impulsivity. Greater research First MB, Spitzer RL, Gibbon M, Williams JBW. Structured
into the biological correlates of this urge-driven behav- Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Patient Edition (SCID-I/P,
iour may shed light on possible similarities between Version 2.0). New York: Biometrics Research Depart-
those subjects who steal unnecessary items compared ment, New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1995.
to those whose urges result in the theft of desired Goldman MJ. Kleptomania: making sense of the nonsensical.
items. Am J Psychiatry 1991; 148: 986–96.
Grant JE, Kim SW. Kleptomania: emerging therapies target
This study suffers from several limitations. First, the
mood, impulsive behavior. Current Psychiatry 2002; 1(8):
sequence of the administered instruments may have 45–9.
affected the results. Subjects were administered the self- Grant JE, Kim SW. Quality of life in kleptomania and
report measure after the administration of the SCI-K. pathological gambling. Compr Psychiatry 2005; 46:
This may have resulted in artificially elevating the posi- 34–7.
tive responses to the self-report measure as the subjects Grant JE, Levine L, Kim D, Potenza MN. Impulse control
may have been primed to consider their behaviour disorders in adult psychiatric inpatients. Am J Psychiatry
problematic based on the previous instrument. Second, 2005; 162: 2184–8.
Hamilton M. A rating scale for depression. J Neurol Neuro-
the self-report measure, although exhibiting some face
surg Psychiatr 1960; 23: 56–62.
validity as it used the DSM-IV inclusionary criteria Lejoyeux M, Feuche N, Loi S, Solomon J, Ades J. Study of
verbatim, lacks psychometric testing. Third, many impulse-control disorders among alcohol-dependent
people who steal may not honestly answer questions patients. J Clin Psychiatry 1999; 60: 302–5.
focusing on their behaviour and this could result in Lejoyeux M, Arbaretaz M, McLoughlin M, Ades J. Impulse
fewer positive responses. This sample, however, was control disorders and depression. J Nerv Ment Dis 2002;
drawn from patients voluntarily seeking treatment and 190: 310–4.
McElroy SL, Pope HG, Hudson JI, Keck PE, White KL.
therefore secondary gain from lying appears less likely.
Kleptomania: a report of 20 cases. Am J Psychiatry 1991;
Finally, the sample, while including a variety of psychi- 148: 652–7.
atric disorders, was largely derived from subjects McElroy SL, Hudson JI, Pope HG, Keck PE, Aizley HG.
with problems of impulsivity. Whether the use of this The DSM-III-R impulse control disorders not elsewhere
instrument will generalize to larger, more varied psy- classified: clinical characteristics and relationship to
chiatric populations or the general population is still other psychiatric disorders. Am J Psychiatry 1992; 149:
undetermined. 318–27.
Presta S, Marazziti D, Dell’Osso L, Pfanner C, Pallanti S,
In summary, these preliminary validity and reliabil-
Cassano GB. Kleptomania: clinical features and comor-
ity findings of the SCI-K appear promising. In addition, bidity in an Italian sample. Compr Psychiatry 2002; 43:
a structured instrument for kleptomania should be 7–12.
clinically useful as more accurate diagnosis may aid Spitzer RL. Psychiatric diagnosis: are clinicians still neces-
in treatment interventions. These findings, however, sary? Compr Psychiatry 1983; 24: 399–411.

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Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd DOI: 10.1002/mpr
88 Grant et al.

Appendix: Structured Clinical Interview for Kleptomania (SCI-K)

Subject Initials:—————————————— Date:——————————————

SKIP IF ALREADY KNOWN.

Have you ever stolen anything? —— Yes —— No

NOTES
IF ANSWER IS ‘YES’, CONTINUE:

At what age did you start stealing?

When in your life were you stealing most?
How long did that period last?
How often do you steal now?
When was the last time you stole?

During that time (when you were stealing most)  .  .  .

how often were you stealing?
what kind of items did you steal?
what did you usually do with the items?
did you have the money to buy the items?

During that time  .  .  .

how did you feel right before you stole something?
how did you feel right after stealing?
did you do engage in other illegal activities?
   if so, what kinds of illegal activities

PROCEED IF THERE HAS EVER BEEN AN INDICATION OF AN INABILITY TO RESIST STEALING.

Int. J. Methods Psychiatr. Res. 15(2): 83–94 (2006)

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd DOI: 10.1002/mpr
 A Structured Clinical Interview for Kleptomania 89

NOTE TO INTERVIEWER: USE SPACE For each criterion, circle one

BELOW EACH QUESTION TO DESCRIBE of the following four choices:
RESPONSES TO EACH QUESTION.
? = Inadequate information
1 = absent or false
2 = subthreshold
3 = threshold or true
Let me ask you a few more questions about your
stealing. We will be talking primarily about the
time when you were stealing most.

NOTE TO INTERVIEWER: CHANGE TENSE

OF QUESTIONS IF TIME OF MOST STEALING
WAS IN THE PAST
Criterion
Rating

Criteria A1. Recurrent impulses to steal objects ?

How often do you steal? 1

Why do you steal? 2

IF UNCLEAR, do you have urges or cravings to steal?
Do you steal because you’re bored or depressed? 3
Do you steal because friends or family steal?

Do you have urges or temptations to steal even when you don’t steal?

How often do you have a drive, urge or temptation to steal?

Do you feel that your stealing is out of control?

Criteria A2. Recurrent failure to resist impulses ?

When you have a temptation, drive or urge to steal,

have you tried not to steal? 1

If YES, how often do you try? 2

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   Most of the time?
.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   Some of the time? 3
.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   Rarely?

How often were you successful in stopping yourself?

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   Most of the time?
.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   Some of the time?
.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   Rarely?

Do you generally feel unable to stop yourself from stealing when you
have the temptation, urge or drive to steal?

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Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd DOI: 10.1002/mpr
90 Grant et al.

Criteria A3.

Steals items not needed for

What types of items do you steal? personal use or for their ?
monetary value
Do you need the items you steal? 1

Could you afford to buy the items instead of stealing them? 2

What do you do with the items you steal? 3

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  sell them for money?
.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  return them to the store for other items or for money?
.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  give them away in exchange for something else?

Do you sometimes steal items that seem silly or nonsensical to you to steal?

Do you ever steal the same items, or types of items, over and over again?

Criteria B.

I NOW WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT Increasing sense of tension

THE PERIOD (THIS MAY BE MINUTES OR HOURS) immediately before
JUST BEFORE YOU STEAL committing the theft
?

How do you feel right before you steal something? 1

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   is this different from how you usually feel?
2
Does the way you feel before stealing get better or worse if you
.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   delay stealing, 3
.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   are prevented from stealing, or
.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   don’t steal anything?

Does the feeling you have before stealing go away if you steal?

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Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd DOI: 10.1002/mpr
 A Structured Clinical Interview for Kleptomania 91

Criteria C.

I NOW WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE Pleasure, gratification, or relief

VERY MOMENT WHEN YOU’RE STEALING at the time of committing the
SOMETHING theft

How do you feel when you’re stealing something? ?

.  .  .  .  .  .  do you feel exhilarated/is there a ‘rush’?
.  .  .  .  .  .  do you feel powerful? 1
.  .  .  .  .  .  do you feel happy or satisfied?
2
Does the act of stealing change the way you feel?
3
Does the act of stealing help to calm you down
or make you feel less tense?

Criteria D1.

Have you ever stolen when you were feeling angry? The stealing is not committed to
express anger or vengeance

.  .  .  .  .  .  IF YOU STOLE FROM AN INDIVIDUAL,

were you angry at the person you stole from? ?

or, 1
were you trying to ‘get even’ for yourself or
someone close to you? 2

.  .  .  .  .  .  IF YOU STOLE FROM A STORE, 3

were you upset about the way someone in the
store had treated you or treated someone close to you?

or,
did you feel you deserved what you stole because the store has so
much money and you don’t?

or,
were you stealing for a social or political reason
aimed against that particular store?

IF YES,
Is this the reason (USE SUBJECT’S REASON) that you usually steal?

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Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd DOI: 10.1002/mpr
92 Grant et al.

Criteria D2.

I’D LIKE TO ASK YOU ABOUT Stealing is not committed in ?

UNUSUAL EXPERIENCES.  .  .  . response to a delusion or a
hallucination 1
Have you ever stolen because you felt a
store or person was going out of their way to 2
hurt you or give you a hard time?
3
Have you stolen because you felt you were especially important
In some way or had special powers?

Have you stolen because someone or something outside yourself

was controlling your actions against your will?

Have you stolen because you heard voices of people

telling you to steal even when no one was with you?

IF YES,
Is this the reason (USE SUBJECT’S REASON) that you usually steal?

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

NOTE TO INTERVIEWER: IF THIS MODULE IS The stealing behavior is not ?

BEING USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE SCID, better accounted for by a Manic
REFER TO MANIC EPISODE CRITERIA. Episode. 1
NOTE TO INTERVIEWER:
IF MANIC EPISODE CRITERIA ARE NOT MET, YOU CIRCLE 3 FOR STEALING 2
MAY RATE AS ‘STEALING BEHAVIOR NOT BETTER BEHAVIOR NOT BETTER
ACCOUNTED FOR BY A MANIC EPISODE’. ACCOUNTED FOR BY A 3
MANIC EPISODE.
IF MANIC EPISODE CRITERIA ARE MET, ASK THE (Since individuals who experience
FOLLOWING: Manic Episodes sometimes steal
Is your stealing mainly limited to the period(s) in ways that appear similar to
when you are feeling ——————————— (USE SUBJECT’S OWN kleptomania, Manic
WORD(S) FOR MANIA)? Episodes must be ruled out as the
primary cause of the diagnostic
Do you steal generally only when you are ——————————— indicators of kleptomania.
(USE MANIC SYMPTOMS ACKNOWLEDGED) However, diagnoses of both
for example: kleptomania and Bipolar I Disorder
.  .  .  sleeping only a few hours a night yet still feeling rested? may be made when both are present
.  .  .  feeling more self confident than usual? independently.)
.  .  .  experiencing thoughts racing through your head?
.  .  .  having more difficulty than usual maintaining concentration or focus?)

REMINDER TO INTERVIEWER: A PERIOD OF MANIC

BEHAVIOR MUST LAST FOR AT LEAST ONE WEEK
TO QUALIFY FOR A MANIC EPISODE.

Int. J. Methods Psychiatr. Res. 15(2): 83–94 (2006)

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd DOI: 10.1002/mpr
 A Structured Clinical Interview for Kleptomania 93

IF THIS MODULE IS The stealing behavior is not ?

BEING USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE SCID-II, better accounted for by antisocial
REFER TO ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER personality disorder 1
CRITERIA.
2
IF ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER CRITERIA 3
ARE NOT MET, YOU MAY RATE AS ‘STEALING CIRCLE 3 FOR STEALING
BEHAVIOR NOT BETTER ACCOUNTED FOR BY BEHAVIOR NOT BETTER
ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER’. ACCOUNTED FOR BY
ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY
DISORDER.

IF ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER

CRITERIA NOT ASKED,
Before you were 15 years old, did you
.  .  .  .  .  initiate physical fights.
.  .  .  .  .  bully others
.  .  .  .  .  use weapons
.  .  .  .  .  act physically cruel to others
.  .  .  .  .  act physically cruel to animals
.  .  .  .  .  force someone into sexual activity
.  .  .  .  .  set fires
.  .  .  .  .  deliberately destroy property
.  .  .  .  .  break into someone else’s car or home
.  .  .  .  .  run away from home or stay out all night?

IF ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER

CRITERIA ARE MET,
ASK THE (Since individuals who suffer from
FOLLOWING: antisocial personality disorder sometimes steal
Is your stealing mainly limited to items you don’t in ways that appear similar to
need or could afford to buy? kleptomania, antisocial personality disorder
must be ruled out as the
Is your stealing generally due to having primary cause of the diagnostic
a drive, temptation, or urge to steal? indicators of kleptomania.
However, diagnoses of both kleptomania
and antisocial personality disorder
may be made if they are present independently.)

TO MEET DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR KLEPTOMANIA, THE SUBJECT MUST MEET THRESHOLD FOR
ALL CRITERIA AND MUST NOT MEET EXCLUSION CRITERIA.

FINAL DETERMINATION FOR DIAGNOSIS OF KLEPTOMANIA:

Present Absent

Int. J. Methods Psychiatr. Res. 15(2): 83–94 (2006)

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd DOI: 10.1002/mpr
94 Grant et al.

Correspondence: Jon E. Grant, Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, 2450 Riverside Avenue, Minneapolis,
MN 55454, USA.
Telephone: (+1) 612-273-9736
Fax: 612-273-9779
Email: grant045@umn.edu

Int. J. Methods Psychiatr. Res. 15(2): 83–94 (2006)

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd DOI: 10.1002/mpr