Anxiety, significant losses, depression, and irrational beliefs in first-offence shoplifters.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship among demographic data, anxiety, significant losses, depression, and irrational beliefs reported by first-offence shoplifters.

Method: One hundred and six adult shoplifters who were first-time offenders completed a self-administered questionnaire.

Results: Men and women were equally likely to be arrested for this offence.

Shoplifting and mental illness.

A survey of 1,649 shoplifting convictions at a Montreal area municipal court found that a relatively low percentage (3.2%) of the cases involved mentally ill patients and that there is a comparatively closer link between shoplifting and affective disorders, alcoholism and drug addiction. The survey also showed that shoplifting is related more to mental illness than to the use of psychotropic drugs.