Pyromania

Pyromania is an impulse control disorder in which individuals repeatedly fail to resist impulses to deliberately start fires, in order to relieve tension or for instant gratification. The term pyromania comes from the Greek word πῦρ (pyr, fire). Pyromania is distinct from arson, the deliberate setting of fires for personal, monetary or political gain.

Definition

Pyromania is defined as a pattern of deliberate setting of fires for pleasure or satisfaction derived from the relief of tension experienced before the fire-setting. Pyromaniacs start fires to induce euphoria, and often fixate on institutions of fire control like fire stations and firefighters.

Diagnosis

DSM-IV-TR criteria for pyromania include:

• Deliberate and purposeful fire setting on more than one occasion.
• Tension or affective arousal before the act.
• Fascination with, interest in, curiosity about, or attraction to fire and its situational contexts (e.g., paraphernalia, uses, consequences).
• Pleasure, gratification, or relief when setting fires, or when witnessing or participating in their aftermath.
• The fire setting is not done for monetary gain, as an expression of sociopolitical ideology, to conceal criminal activity, to express anger or vengeance, to improve one's living circumstances, in response to a delusion or hallucination, or as a result of impaired judgment.
• The fire setting is not better accounted for by conduct disorder, a manic episode, or antisocial personality disorder.

Treatment

Treatment usually consists of more psychotherapy and behavioral therapy than medications. Cognitive behavioral therapy is used to identify the feelings that are associated with the fire setting. Then the therapist and the patient work on techniques to help control the impulses of setting fires.

See also

• Impulse control disorder
• Arson
• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

Pyromania Resources
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