Pyromania: what it is, causes, symptoms and treatment

Pyromania is a disorder of desire, manifested by an irresistible urge to set fire and fascination with watching flames. The desire to start a fire arises spontaneously, while arson occurs impulsively. Pyromaniacs experience extraordinary delight and pleasure while organizing a fire and observing the combustion process; they can only assess the consequences after extinguishing it. Diagnosis is performed using the method of clinical conversation. Treatment of true pyromania is carried out using methods of cognitive behavioral psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, and drug behavior correction.

Historical chronicle

In the 1800s, pyromania was thought to be associated with “moral” insanity and required “moral treatment,” but it was not classified as an impulse control disorder. Pyromania is one of the motives for arson recognized today. Other than that, they include profit, covering up a crime, and revenge, with pyromania being the second most common category. Commonly used synonyms for pyromaniacs include the term “arsonist.”

Pyromania is a rare disorder, affecting less than one percent of people in most studies; Also, pyromaniacs make up a very small proportion of psychiatric hospitalizations. Pyromania can appear in children as young as three years old, but such cases are rare.

A 1979 study by the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration found that only 14% of fires were caused by pyromaniacs and other people with mental illness. A 1951 study by Lewis and Yarnell, one of the largest epidemiological studies, found that 39% of people who intentionally set fires had pyromania.

Questions and answers

What happens if pyromania is not treated?

Without treatment, the disease progresses and becomes more and more severe. The number of cases of arson is becoming more frequent, and the interval between them is becoming smaller. At the same time, in order to experience satisfaction, the patient sets fire to larger objects, and this leads to the tragic death of many people. As pyromania progresses, a person’s behavior becomes less and less adequate, and they begin to pose a greater danger to society.

Is there any hope for a complete cure for pyromania?

If the disease is registered in the early stages and therapy is carried out, including medication and the work of a psychotherapist, then the prognosis is usually favorable. The patient's behavior is corrected, and actions become productive. But this is provided that the true form of pathology occurs. When pyromania acts as a symptom of schizophrenia, psychosis and other mental disorders, it is difficult to make a prognosis.

What it is?

Pyromania got its name from the ancient Greek words πῦρ, which means “flame” and μανία – “madness”, “passion”. This is the name of a mental disorder, which belongs to the category of behavioral and desire disorders. Pyromania is a disease that manifests itself as an incredibly strong desire to commit arson and enthusiastically watch the fire blaze.

The term was first introduced into psychiatric practice in the 19th century, but the phenomenon itself was known long before that. Modern experts consider pyromania not only as a mental illness, but also from a legal point of view, as a direct violation of the law, a crime.

Psychiatrists know of cases where pyromaniacs experienced real sexual arousal at the moment of burning something, followed by release. This is called pyrolagnia.

Diagnostic criteria

Treatment of pyromania in Moscow at Dr. Isaev’s clinic begins with an accurate diagnosis of the disease. When identifying pathology, it is very important to understand whether arson is a mental disorder or a deliberate act. An ordinary person can start a fire for the purpose of revenge, a desire to cause harm, to hide evidence, or to protest.

It is also necessary to determine whether pyromania is a primary disorder or acts as a symptom of another mental illness. To conduct a differential diagnosis, the doctor takes into account the following features and manifestations of other abnormalities that may be accompanied by spontaneous arson:

schizophrenics organize fires against the background of delusions and hallucinations;
organic brain disorders are characterized by low volitional regulation
Chronic alcoholics do it out of obsession or for fun.

Treatment of pyromania in its pure form is required when the patient meets two or more diagnostic criteria:

A person organized and carried out two or more arson attacks. At the same time, the purposefulness of the action and its thoughtfulness were noted.
Before the fire, the patient felt excitement and anticipation of a pleasant sensation. During the fire, he enjoyed and experienced joy. When talking about what happened, the pyromaniac talked about it with admiration and notes of fanaticism.
There was no selfish motivation. The only goal was to have fun.

True pyromania has no other signs of deviation. If they are observed, then in this case treatment of schizophrenia and addictions may be required. Sometimes such inappropriate actions occur in dementia, an organic form of psychosis, or dissocial disorder.

Causes of pyromania

Like other forms of deviant behavior, the development of pyromania occurs as a result of the negative impact of external and internal factors. The main reasons for the formation of an abnormal passion for committing arson:

genetic predisposition to social deviations, a family history of mental disorders;
insufficient level of intellectual development, acquired both from birth and as a result of organic brain diseases, cranial injuries;
significant deviations in the emotional-volitional sphere;
instability and imbalance in the mental sphere;
instability in society;
conflict between the individual’s personal worldview and the priority values of the majority;
problematic period of growing up, lack of attention or excess of control over the child, antisocial behavior of parents;
deviations in the subject’s self-esteem and personal aspirations, which creates a need to demonstrate one’s own strength to society;
pathological thirst for power;
serious problems of the individual in the intimate sphere, long-term sexual deprivation.

Symptoms

When committing arson, a person most often does not pursue any personal motives, it follows that the pyromaniac does not prove anything by his action. In most cases, the pyromaniac does not try to hide any crime, is not aimed at obtaining material gain, and his actions are not a manifestation of political or social discontent.

The main goal pursued by the patient is to obtain maximum pleasure from observing the combustion process. Persons suffering from a pathological addiction to arson may not hide their involvement in fires, and also commit arson systematically.

The distinctive signs of pyromania are:

Repeated attempts to commit arson for no apparent reason.
Confidence and intensity of actions.
Constant thoughts about fire and things related to it.
Ability to report false arson.
Tendency to observe fire from outsiders.
The appearance of internal tension before committing arson and rapid relief after the deed.
Getting pleasure from contemplating fire.
Lack of material motives for one’s actions.
Interest in objects and vehicles related to firefighting.
The appearance of sexual desire when contemplating fire in some cases.
Detailed consideration of how to commit arson and where best to do it.

Interesting Facts

In human history there have been many people suffering from pyromania. One of them is Herostratus. This man, who lived during the times of Ancient Greece, became famous for nothing other than his strange love of arson. He is responsible for the fire that burned down the Temple of Artemis, located in Ephesus.

Why he did this, Herostratus could not explain. According to some scientists, this was an attempt to become famous, at least for a few minutes. And the man received his share of glory. It came with the death penalty.

The Roman Emperor Nero also suffered from pyromania. Remember the story of how he burned Rome? The ruler watched the large-scale fire for a week, and when he realized what he had done, he placed all the blame on the Christians. This event provoked mass persecutions and pogroms.

Another hero is 16-year-old Jean Baptiste Muron, who lived in France. He was arrested in 1776 for another attempt at arson. The sentence is 100 years' imprisonment in a French prison. It is noteworthy that the man served his sentence from start to finish and was released at the age of 116 years.

Risk factors

In addition to humiliation and lack of upbringing, risk factors for the development of pyromania are considered to be living in a single-parent family. Currently, many children are being brought up without a father, who once left his family, and the child’s desire is to return his father in any way: attracting attention to himself, creating situations that threaten the child’s life, which can include arson. The child or teenager does not fully understand the danger of such behavior, nor does he think about the fact that the father may not even know about the danger threatening his child.

Craving for arson in children

Most psychiatrists are of the opinion that pyromania occurs as a result of abnormal development of personality structure, and the formation of a mental disorder begins in childhood. If the first symptoms of the disease are detected in a teenager, its manifestations can be much more destructive.

Almost every child experiences some interest in fire, and at the first opportunity tries to play with matches. Children can make fires and set fire to certain objects, but normally a few times should be enough to completely lose interest in this activity. A pyromaniac child tries to associate all his games with fire, which should alert parents and others. Children's pyromania poses a particular danger, because the child is not fully aware of the threat that fire hides and the possible dire consequences of arson.

By the way, some psychologists express the opinion that in adulthood a person may well choose a profession related to fire (firefighter, fakir, etc.), if in childhood he developed a craving for this phenomenon.

Treatment of pyromania

If you have problems with your relationship with fire and uncontrolled arson, you need to contact specialists in the field of psychology and psychotherapy, because only qualified medicine knows pyromania, what it is and how it should be treated.

Therapy of the disease is carried out in a complex and includes the following stages:

use of medications;
passive psychotherapy;
hypnosis;
active psychotherapy and analysis.

A severe form of pyromania requires immediate hospitalization and constant supervision by specialists. At the same time, it is necessary to correct behavior, stop manic tendencies and treat obsessive states. For this purpose, anxiolytics, neuroleptics, and sedatives are used. Common medications for relieving nervous excitability based on decoctions of medicinal herbs do not have any beneficial effect on the body of a pyromaniac.

The initial motivation of a person with such a pathology is absent. Therefore, first of all, correction methods are applied to him that do not require active participation from him. Hypnosis or suggestion without inducing a trance works best. Such techniques at the subconscious level help to introduce the idea of irrationality of behavior and reprogram negative experiences into neutral or positive ones.

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How a person is cremated in a crematorium these days.

Human cremation takes place in crematoria - complex engineering structures designed for 100% combustion of the dead along with the coffin at ultra-high temperatures.
The crematorium complex consists of several industrial furnaces capable of generating temperatures of 900-1100°C, which ensures the complete disintegration of the body and its transformation into ashes. Cremation takes from one and a half to two hours, and after cremation of a person, ashes with a volume of 2-2.5 liters remain.

The coffin with the body is delivered to the crematorium and placed on a hearse in the hall for the farewell ceremony. At the end of the ritual, the coffin is transferred to a conveyor and moved to a transit room, from where after a certain time it enters the cremation oven. Imagining how people are cremated in a crematorium, we, especially at a young age, think that the body goes into the fire immediately after the coffin disappears behind the curtains of the farewell hall. But this is not always the case: such technology is not provided in every crematorium.

After cremation, the ashes are placed in a metal capsule and sealed. Most often, the relatives of the deceased want to receive the ashes in an urn. Funeral urns come in a variety of designs and are chosen according to taste: purchased from a crematorium or funeral store and then given to the crematorium staff, who transfer the ashes from the capsule to the urn.

The urn is collected by the relative responsible for receiving it, after which the final stage of burial begins.

After cremation, the urn with ashes is stored in the crematorium until claimed by her relatives. The shelf life varies in different regions, but most often it is 1 year. If the ashes are not claimed, the urn will be buried in a common grave at the crematorium.

Origin of the word "erotica"

The noun “erotica” has its origins in ancient Greek. There is an adjective ἐρωτικός, meaning “loving”, “passionate”, “in love”. It was formed from the ancient Greek noun ἔρως - “love, passion.” The latter comes from the verb ἐράω, which is translated into Russian as “passionately desire”, “to love”.

This verb has a direct connection with the god of love Eros (Eros) present in Greek mythology. He is the constant companion and assistant of the goddess of love Aphrodite and personifies the love attraction that ensures the continuation of life on the planet.

In a number of European languages, the word was formed through the Latin eroticus. In Russian it appeared at the beginning of the 19th century, according to one version, from the French érotique, according to another, from the German Erotik.

In order to better understand that this is an erotomaniac, it would be advisable to consider the second component of this lexeme.

Pathogenesis

Complex behavior is formed in stages: first, an idea arises and its driving force is impulse; then thinking occurs - defining a goal, anticipating a result, drawing up a plan; then actions are implemented. If at the second stage it becomes clear that the action is inappropriate, unacceptable, or dangerous, then the impulse fades. Pyromania is a disorder of impulsive behavior - desires and aspirations appear spontaneously, are not controlled, and are realized without the stage of analysis and planning. Thinking about motives and consequences occurs after committing an act and receiving release. The physiological basis of behavioral disorders is often immaturity and insufficient functional activity of the frontal areas of the cerebral cortex, which are responsible for programming and controlling complex behavior and social emotions.

The actual content of pyromania is explained by several theories. According to the psychoanalytic concept of S. Freud, flame is a symbol of sexuality and is associated with the male penis. The motive of pyromaniacs is the desire to obtain sexual satisfaction. Biological theories view this disorder as a manifestation of the ancient instinct of worshiping fire as a source of warmth and life.

In social psychology, arson is considered a special form of social behavior that allows you to attract attention, take a dominant position, subordinating people forced to fight the fire to your will.

Signs

There are certain characteristics that separate pyromaniacs from those who start fires for criminal purposes or because of emotional motivations not specifically related to fire. Someone suffering from this disorder consciously and intentionally sets fires on more than one occasion, and before the act of lighting a fire, the person usually experiences tension and emotional buildup. When surrounded by lights, a person suffering from pyromania receives increased interest or admiration and may also experience pleasure, satisfaction or relief. Another long-term participant was often associated with pyromania, a build-up of tension. When examining the lifestyle of someone with pyromania, the build-up of tension and emotion is often obvious, and is seen in teenagers' relationships with friends and family. At times, it is difficult to distinguish the difference between pyromania and childhood experimentation because both involve the pleasure of fire.

aftercare

In the subsequent treatment of an addictive disorder such as pyromania, the reintegration of victims into society is of great importance. Facilities that offer assisted living, including self-help groups and complementary therapy, are particularly helpful here. Survivors again face daily life as a group, beginning with professional help from specially trained addiction counselors and therapists.

After such a stay, it is advisable to provide additional therapeutic support to the victims. The success of such aftercare and the prevention of recidivism depends primarily on the motivation of the victim. In addition, the environment, integration into daily life and restoration of independence are important. Family involvement and supportive friends play a critical role in the recovery process.

If possible, the person concerned should also engage in normal activities, such as work or charity work. In every city there are special contact points for drug addicts that provide assistance in this matter. You can also increase your free time by finding a hobby and doing it. In addition, it is possible to establish new contacts and regular meetings for such a hobby, facilitating integration into everyday life.

Complications

Undiagnosed cases of pyromania develop into severe forms - the number of episodes of arson increases, and the time interval between attacks decreases. With each fire, patients receive less and less satisfaction; to experience delight they need more intense stimulation, so they set fire to large objects and endanger people's lives. The more the disorder progresses, the more inappropriate the behavior of pyromaniacs becomes. Patients lose the ability to assess the harm caused even after a fire, and do not feel guilty for causing harm to health and death.

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