Kleptomania Induced by Venlafaxine

Introduction. Kleptomania is an impulse-control disorder that results in an irresistible urge to steal. It is often observed as a comorbidity in patients undergoing pharmacological treatment for Parkinson’s disease. Recurrent shopliftings are also observed in the clinical course of frontotemporal dementia. Case Presentation. After successful treatment of severe depression with venlafaxine at a dose of 225 mg/day, a 54-year-old euthymic female patient exhibited recurrent stealing behavior. After the diagnostic exclusion of frontotemporal dementia, kleptomania induced by venlafaxine administration was suspected. The symptoms of kleptomania disappeared with the gradual decrease in the venlafaxine dosage to 37.5 mg/day. Discussion. Venlafaxine is a dual serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. We considered two possible mechanisms to explain the pathophysiology of kleptomania in the present case: (1) increased dopaminergic neural transmission due to the inhibited dopamine reuptake by the norepinephrine transporter with a high dose of venlafaxine or (2) enhanced serotonergic neural transmission by the inhibition of serotonin reuptake by venlafaxine. In past studies, five cases of impulse-control disorder induced by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have been reported. This is the fourth report of venlafaxine-induced kleptomania and highlights the importance of considering the possibility of a rare side effect of kleptomania induced by antidepressant.

A case of trichotillomania with bulimia: combined with N-acetylcysteine synergistic therapy

Background Trichotillomania is a common type of obsessive-related disorder characterized by repetitive hair pulling, driven by escalating tension before the action and during the attempts to resist it, and causing variable hair loss. Most clinical treatments for trichotillomania have poor curative effects. Case presentationWe treated a case of trichotillomania with bulimia with N-acetylcysteine synergistic treatment. The pathological hair plucking behaviour and binge eating symptoms were both significantly improved.ConclusionThis case suggest that N-acetylcysteine can be one choice as a synergistic or adjuvant treatment for impulse control disorder. Moreover, trichotillomania and bulimia may have a common pathophysiological mechanism.

Social Networking Sites and Internet Addiction among Adult Internet Users in Greece

For the majority of Internet users, the Network represents the endless source of opportunities that enhance wellbeing. For some though, it might be the reason that makes them “sick” with symptoms specific to mental disorder. This condition is called Internet addiction and is described as “impulse control disorder that does not involve addictive substance”. In recent years Social Networking Sites (SNSs) have provided many and significant benefits to users. At the same time, though, there are risks with their use, such as excessive use that can lead to addiction phenomena as well as contribute to the manifestation of Internet addiction. The present study investigates the phenomenon of Internet addiction in adult Greek users of Social Networking Sites, to determine the prevalence of IA among SNS users, and investigates the correlation of socio-demographic factors with the occurrence of IA in SNS users. The results showed that there is connection between the use of SNS and IA, and the prevalence of IA among SNS users reaches 30%. Moreover, IA relates to the age of SNS users.