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Pyromania is an impulse control disorder where individuals intentionally start fires to relieve stress or induce euphoria. It is rare, affecting less than 1% of the population, with 90% of diagnosed patients being male. Children as young as three can suffer from pyromania, but most child arsonists are not diagnosed with the disorder. Treatment includes psychotherapy, family therapy, and SSRIs. Pyromania should be distinguished from arson, pyrophilia, and deliberate fires for gain or revenge. Arsonists account for less than a fifth of man-made fires.
An arsonist, also known as a pyromaniac, is a person who suffers from pyromania, an impulse control disorder. People with pyromania intentionally create fires to relieve their stress. Arsonists also light fires to induce a state of euphoria within themselves, which usually occurs after the fire has been started.
The disease is recognized to be very rare. The incidence of pyromania is generally considered to be less than one percent; impulse control disorders in general, including pyromania, compulsive gambling and shopping, affect less than a tenth of the population. Arsonists account for a very small amount of psychiatric hospital admissions. Of patients diagnosed with pyromania, 90% are male.
Although extremely rare in young people, children as young as three have been known to suffer from pyromania. Most children arrested for arson are not considered arsonists; fires started by child arsonists are considered the rarest of all intentional fires. Because the disease is so rare, most children who start fires are still not diagnosed with pyromania. Instead, they are considered to have conduct disorder until they are older.
To cure an arsonist, behavior modification can be administered through psychotherapy. This is the most used treatment. An arsonist may also be tested by a doctor to determine the true cause of his behavior. Once this cause, or subconscious problem has been identified, the arsonist’s therapist will help the patient work through the problem.
The prognosis for recovery for an adult arsonist is generally fair to poor. Children treated with family therapy and community intervention have a much higher success rate; almost all child arsonists can make a full recovery. When treatment fails, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, can be given, which can stabilize the arsonist’s emotions and stress level. The patient may also be provided with an outlet for her wishes in a simulated environment.
Pyromania should be distinguished separately from arson, which is the deliberate destruction of property or wildlife by fire. It is also separate from pyrophilia, a rare disease in which the victim becomes sexually aroused by fire or starting fires. An arsonist is also different from people who start fires for revenge or for some kind of gain, political, monetary or otherwise. Overall, less than a fifth of man-made fires are caused by arsonists.
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