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Pyromania
(Impulse-Control Disorder) Pyromania is an impulse to set fires. Pyromania involves deliberate and purposeful fire setting on at least two occasions. There is typically tension or heightened arousal prior to the act and gratification or relief afterward. The fire setting is not done for monetary gain or an expression of anger, vengeance, personal gain, or psychosis. Treatment typically involves behavior modification. Other treatment approaches involve seeing the setting of fires as an unconscious process and analyzing it as such may assist in gaining insight and eventually extinguishing the behavior. Prognosis is fair to poor, but can increase with a positive therapeutic relationship and a strong motivation to change the behavior. Pyromania often goes untreated and results in legal difficulties.
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Pyromania is an impulse to set fires. Most children go through a stage where they like to see fire. This is normal. If they are taught about fire safety, supervised children can assist adults around a campfire. Some children still manage to sometimes sneak away and play with fire. This is frightening, but it is not a psychiatric disorder. A person with pyromania does not set fires for
money, to express political beliefs, to hide signs of a crime, or to show anger.
It is not pyromania if someone sets a fire in response to a delusion or
hallucination. It is also not pyromania if the person setting the fire is in the
manic phase of bipolar disorder, has a conduct disorder, or has an antisocial
personality disorder. A true pyromaniac just likes fire. People with this disorder may have poor social skills. Many have learning problems. Pyromaniacs tend to plan in advance to start fires. Many of them like to watch any fire they can. They may like to set off fire alarms. People with pyromania often do not seem to care about the loss of property, the injuries, or even the deaths that result from fires. Pyromania in children is rare. Juvenile fire setting is usually associated with other conditions such as Conduct Disorder, ADHD, or Adjustment Disorder. Pyromania occurs more commonly in males, especially those with poor social skills and learning difficulties Pyromania is extremely dangerous to the person with the disorder as well as to others. If you suspect that someone you care about may have pyromania, ask your primary healthcare provider for a referral to a mental health professional as soon as possible.
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