Pyromania is an impulse-control disorder in which individuals repeatedly fail to resist impulses to deliberately start fires. An individual with pyromania deliberately sets fires on more than one occasion, and before the act of lighting the fire, the person usually experiences tension and an emotional buildup.
When around fires, a person with pyromania gains intense interest or fascination, and may also experience pleasure or relief. A common cause of pyromania is the buildup of stress in one's life.
Pyromania is distinct from arson, which is the deliberate setting of fires for personal, monetary, or political gain. Individuals with pyromania may start fires to release anxiety and tension, or for arousal.
Diagnosis
There is a lack of training in, and knowledge of, pyromania among clinicians,
The prevalence of pyromania is reported to be 3–6% in psychiatric inpatients, Regarding pyromania, it states:
The ICD-11 also notes that the behavior must not be better explained by intellectual impairment, substance abuse, or other mental and behavioral disorders. Pyromania moved from the DSM-IV chapter "Impulse-Control Disorders Not Otherwise Specified" to the chapter "Disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders" in the DSM-5. A 2022 revision of the DSM-5 (DSM-5-TR) states that the essential feature of pyromania is "the presence of multiple episodes of deliberate and purposeful fire setting."
Epidemiology
Pyromania is a rare disorder with an incidence of less than one percent in most studies. Pyromaniacs make up a very small proportion of psychiatric hospital admissions. Pyromania can occur in children as young as age three, though such cases are rare. Only a small percentage of children and teenagers arrested for arson have pyromania. A preponderance of the individuals are male; one source states that ninety percent of those diagnosed with pyromania are male. Based on a survey of 9,282 Americans using the DSM-IV, impulse-control problems such as gambling, pyromania, and compulsive shopping collectively affect 9% of the population.
- Pyromania is more prevalent in males than females.
- The average age of pyromania onset is 18.
- It is very rare for individuals to light fires for sexual gratification. This could be considered pyrophilia. Arson is often committed to achieve a gain that has been planned before the act; the motive is most often revenge or financial, with the intention to cause harm to property, people, and infrastructure. Conversely, pyromania is a psychiatric diagnosis,
Environmental
Environmental factors include neglect from parents and physical or emotional abuse in early life. Firesetters may have experienced a stressful life event, had early experiences of watching adults use fire inappropriately, or felt peer pressure from those who smoke or play with fire. Several studies have found that patients with pyromania were in households without a father figure present. Experiences of boredom or a lack of stimulation can also be a contributing factor.
Treatment and prognosis
The appropriate treatment for pyromania varies with the age of the patient and the severity of the condition. For children and adolescents, treatment is usually cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) sessions in which the practitioner seeks to learn what may cause the impulsive behavior. Once the situation is diagnosed, repeated therapy sessions usually help lead to a recovery. Other treatments include parenting training; over-correction, satiation, or negative practice with corrective consequences; behavioural contracting or token reinforcement; special problem-solving skills training; relaxation training; covert sensitization; fire safety and prevention education, individual and family therapy; and medication. Cognitive-behavioural interventions to reduce the symptoms of pyromania in adults have shown some potential, A 1951 study by Lewis and Yarnell, one of the largest epidemiological studies of pyromania, found that 39% of those who had intentionally set fires had been diagnosed with pyromania. These high rates of prevalence were not confirmed by later research. A 1979 study by the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration found that only 14% of fires were started by pyromaniacs and others with mental illness.
See also
- Firefighter arson
- Macdonald triad
- Pyrophobia – the hatred or fear of fire