Pyromania is a psychological disorder in which the person has a tendency to provoke fires, to feel pleasure and satisfaction in the preparation process of the fire or to observe the results and damages caused by the fire. In addition, there are still people who like to set fire to observe all the confusion of the firemen and inhabitants trying to fight the flames.
Although this disorder is more prevalent in children and adolescents, it may also happen in adulthood to attract parents or revolt. But while young people often make small fires at home, adults need stronger emotions, and can catch fire at home or in the woods and result in disaster.
To be considered pyromania, the pyromaniac should not have any intention like financial gain or need to hide a criminal activity, for example. In such cases, the process of firing is only considered a criminal action, without any psychological disorder.
Signs and symptoms
In most cases it is quite difficult to identify a pyromaniac, but the most frequent sign is when the person is constantly related to fires without a specific cause, even if they deny any involvement or appear to be present only to help.
In addition, someone with pyromania also tends to:
- Walking constantly depressed;
- Create conflicts with people close to you;
- Show easy irritability.
Fires usually arise during periods of great stress, such as loss of employment, during separation or death of a relative, for example.
What causes pyromania
Pyromania is a very complex disorder and, therefore, its causes are not yet known. However, there are some factors that seem to contribute to the development of pyromania, such as lack of social skills, frequent attention needs, or lack of parental supervision during childhood.
How to confirm the diagnosis
Since it is difficult to identify the symptoms in a pyromaniac, the doctor may also have difficulty identifying the disorder, especially if it is not the person himself asking for help.
However, to be considered pyromania there must be some criteria, which include:
- Firing fires consciously on more than one occasion;
- Feeling emotional stress or tension before causing the fire;
- Show fascination or feel curious about everything involving fire, such as firemen's equipment and the destruction caused;
- Feel relief or pleasure after firing the fire or after observing the results;
- Do not have other reasons to cause the fire, like to obtain the money of the insurance of the house or to hide a crime.
During the diagnostic attempt, the physician may also suggest other disorders with similar symptoms such as Borderline personality, schizophrenia, or antisocial personality.
How is the treatment done?
Treatment for pyromania should be appropriate to each person, according to the factors that may be in the development of the disorder. Thus, in order to begin treatment, it is advisable to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist to interview the person and the family in order to understand what may be the basis of the problem.
Then the treatment is done with sessions of psychotherapy that help the person to fight the problem that is the base of the pyromania, allowing to identify other safer and healthier ways to release the accumulated stress.
Treatment is usually easier for children than for adults, and therefore, in addition to psychotherapy, adults may also need to take antidepressants, such as Citalopram or Fluoxetine, to reduce symptoms and prevent uncontrollable urge to fire.
