Pyromania Causes and Treatment

Pyromania is a serious mental health condition characterized by intentionally and repetitively setting fires—and doing so compulsively. People with pyromania feel unable to stop the behavior. Setting a fire releases inner tension or anxiety and gives the person a rush of pleasure or relief.

Symptoms

The latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) files pyromania in the disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders section. The essential feature of pyromania is the presence of multiple episodes of deliberate and purposeful fire setting.

In addition, individuals with pyromania experience tension and affective arousal before setting a fire. Other symptoms may include:

• A fascination with fire, which may include interest, curiosity, and attraction to fire and fire-setting paraphernalia
• Watching fires in the neighborhood, setting off false alarms, or gaining pleasure from institutions, equipment, and personnel with fire
• Spending time at a local fire department, setting fires to be affiliated with the fire department, or becoming a firefighter
• Experiencing pleasure, gratification, or relief when starting a fire, witnessing the effects, and participating in the aftermath

People with pyromania do not set fires for monetary gain. They also aren’t trying to conceal criminal activity, gain vengeance, or improve their living situation. The symptoms also cannot be in response to delusions or hallucinations.

The fire setting also cannot stem from impaired judgment, such as an intellectual disability. The diagnosis also won’t be made if the behavior is better explained by another mental illness, such as conduct disorder or antisocial personality disorder or if it occurs during a manic episode.

Pyromania vs. Arson

A person with pyromania might hoard matches and lighters, burn holes in fabric, rugs, or furniture and set fire to pieces of paper or other flammable materials. They are motivated because of the emotions they experience when they set fires.

But, they don’t have a desire to harm anyone and they aren’t looking for monetary gains from the fires they set. Someone committing arson, on the other hand, may burn down someone’s house to get revenge or to try to collect insurance money.

Arson is a crime, whereas pyromania is a psychiatric diagnosis. Someone who commits arson does not necessarily have an underlying psychiatric condition; plus, setting fires is only one aspect of the diagnosis for pyromania.

Causes

There isn't a single known cause of pyromania. Research suggests there might be a genetic link and it may be similar to a behavioral addiction. It’s not known exactly how many people have pyromania. Researchers estimate it only affects a very small portion of the population, however.

The prevalence of pyromania is unknown. However, reports show that between 3% and 6% of psychiatric inpatients have met the full criteria for pyromania.

When researchers examined individuals in the criminal system who had exhibited repeat fire-setting behaviors, they found only 3.3% of that population met the full criteria for pyromania.

People who have certain other mental illnesses may be at a higher risk than the general population. People with a gambling disorder, bipolar disorder, substance use disorder, and antisocial personality disorder may be more likely to have pyromania.

The condition appears in both males and females—though it’s significantly more common in males. It’s more common in people who have learning disabilities or lack social skills. Most people with pyromania started setting fires during adolescence or early adulthood.

For example, more than 19% of those diagnosed with pyromania has been charged with vandalism at least once, and around 18% have been found guilty of non-violent sexual offenses.

Pyromania in Children

Fire setting is a major problem in young people. But, few of those young people meet the criteria for pyromania. There isn’t a typical age of onset for pyromania. It may be identified during childhood but it’s not clear if pyromania lasts into adulthood.

Fire-setting behaviors often come and go in people with pyromania. So a child who exhibits symptoms of pyromania may seem to get better over time before engaging in fire setting again.

Pyromania may be identified during childhood. Family, friends, or teachers may be among the first people to recognize a child seems obsessed with fire. Fire setting in adolescents is often associated with conduct disorder, ADHD, or an adjustment disorder.

Treatment

Immediate treatment of suspected pyromania is key to avoid the risk of injury, property damage, jail time or even death. The sole method of treatment for pyromania is cognitive behavioral therapy, which teaches a person to acknowledge the feelings of tension that can lead to setting fires and finding a safer way to release that tension.

At this point, there haven’t been any controlled trials of medication for pyromania, though proposed medical treatments include the use of SSRIs, antiepileptic medications, atypical antipsychotics, lithium, and anti-androgens. Therefore, cognitive behavioral therapy is considered the only viable treatment option at this time.

A Word From Verywell

Pyromania isn’t a joking matter, nor is it something to treat lightly. People who potentially have pyromania should seek help immediately to keep themselves, as well everyone in their lives and in their community, safe from harm or damage.