From the author: Inspired by a recent appeal related to the fact that a child from kindergarten liked to “snatch” something that belonged to others, and by adolescence this resulted in serious problems. Mom asked for some kind of “test for kleptomania.” It is widely known that kleptomania is a disease, and patients (children, adolescents, adults) need to be treated, and not educated and punished. In this regard, the parents of those children or adolescents who have repeatedly “appropriated the property of others” sometimes even would like the child’s unpleasant actions to have a medical (probably, from their point of view, more favorable) basis. But is everything so simple? The term “kleptomania” itself is quite understandable - the first root is translated from Greek as taking someone else’s property, stealing, and - mania - it’s not difficult to guess by analogy with drug addiction, pyromania, trichotillomania - that is, a certain irresistible attraction, a strong desire. And here lies the most important differential diagnostic sign, namely, what happens to a person (child, teenager) at the time of the theft. If we talk about kleptomania as a disorder, then the fundamental positions in this case are the sensations and experiences experienced at the moment of committing the theft. This is not about planning actions, forming intent, or seeking profit from theft. The item of theft itself may have little or no value for a kleptomaniac, but the drive, “adrenaline”, pleasure at the moment of commission very often simply goes off scale, before the theft the kleptomaniac experiences increasing tension, and after that relief comes. By the way, after theft, kleptomaniacs often realize the “infidelity” of their act, sincerely repent and experience a feeling of guilt, which, however, under certain circumstances, does not prevent them from repeating similar actions. Yes, according to some data, only 5% of thieves suffer from kleptomania. Well, naturally, to make this diagnosis, a consultation with a psychiatrist is necessary, possibly taking into account the results of a psychological examination. As for theft, the variability of motives and causes expands significantly. Children and teenagers can commit thefts because: they do not regard it as something unacceptable (at a fairly early age); they cannot cope with the immediate strong desire to possess something very attractive to them; someone steals to establish themselves among their peers or become the owner of something that will attract attention to him, add respect, significance, and maybe ... friends; someone steals “on a dare”, “weakly”, in order to prove his belonging to a certain group, company; there is theft, associated with a reaction of protest in response to demands or parenting strategies that are unbearable for a child; and someone does it out of “good intentions” - to help someone hungry, sick, or with some other problems, sometimes real, sometimes fictitious; sometimes stealing is a child’s way of drawing attention to himself or even stabilizing the family system (unconsciously, of course); someone is forcibly forced to steal when in a group a teenager is not in the alpha position and is forced to commit thefts out of fear of rejection and beatings and fears for his health. But You should not think that theft is always associated with social poverty and instability; most of the situations described are found in all social strata. Theft has many faces, just like school failure or childhood fears. In each specific situation, it is important to understand that this is not a bad child and a complete delinquent, but there are specific reasons and circumstances that explain why he behaves this way at the present time. And the help of a psychologist or psychotherapist can be very appropriate and with good results, even if you call a spade a spade.