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Is Pyromania a
Diagnosable Condition?
What the Research Says
Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg,
PhD, PsyD — By Jamie Elmer on November
15, 2019

Definition Pyromania in DSM-5

Symptoms Causes In children
Risk factors Diagnosis Treatment
Summary

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Pyromania definition
When an interest or fascination with fire
deviates from healthy to unhealthy, people
may instantly say it’s “pyromania.”

But there’s a lot of misperceptions and

misunderstandings surrounding pyromania.
One of the biggest is that an arsonist or
anyone who sets a fire is considered a
“pyromaniac.” Research doesn’t support this.

Pyromania is often used interchangeably

with the terms arson or fire-starting, but
these are different.

Pyromania is a psychiatric condition. Arson is

a criminal act. Fire-starting is a behavior that
may or may not be connected to a condition.

Pyromania is very rare and incredibly under-

researched, so its actual occurrence is hard
to determine. Some research states that only
between 3 and 6 percent of people in
inpatient psychiatric hospitals meet the
diagnostic criteria.

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What the American Psychiatric

Association says about
pyromania
Pyromania is defined in the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-
5) as an impulse control disorder. Impulse
control disorders are when a person is
unable to resist a destructive urge or
impulse.

Other types of impulse control disorders

include pathological gambling and
kleptomania.

To receive a pyromania diagnosis, the DSM-

5 criteria states that someone must:

purposefully set fires on more than one

occasion

experience tension before setting fires

and a release after

have an intense attraction to fire and its

paraphernalia

derive pleasure from setting or seeing

fires

have symptoms that aren’t better

explained by another mental disorder,
such as:
conduct disorder

manic episode

antisocial personality disorder

A person with pyromania can only receive a

diagnosis if they don’t set fires:

for a type of gain, like money

for ideological reasons

to express anger or vengeance

to cover up another criminal act

to improve one’s circumstances (for

instance, getting insurance money to
buy a better house)

in response to delusions or
hallucinations

due to impaired judgement, such as

being intoxicated

The DSM-5 has very strict criteria on

pyromania. It’s rarely diagnosed.

Pyromania vs. arson

While pyromania is a psychiatric condition

dealing with impulse control, arson is a
criminal act. It’s usually done maliciously and
with criminal intent.

Pyromania and arson are both intentional,

but pyromania is strictly pathological or
compulsive. Arson may not be.

Although an arsonist can have pyromania,

most arsonists don’t have it. They may,
however, have other diagnosable mental
health conditions or be socially isolated.

At the same time, a person with pyromania

may not commit an act of arson. Although
they may frequently start fires, they can do it
in a way that isn’t criminal.
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Pyromania disorder symptoms

Someone who has pyromania starts fires at a
frequency around every 6 weeks.

Symptoms may start during puberty and last

until or through adulthood.

Other symptoms include:

an uncontrollable urge to set fires

fascination and attraction to fires and

its paraphernalia

pleasure, a rush, or relief when setting

or seeing fires

tension or excitement around fire-

starting

Some research says that while a person with

pyromania will get an emotional release after
setting a fire, they may also experience guilt
or distress afterward, especially if they were
fighting the impulse as long as they could.

Someone may also be an avid watcher of

fires who goes out of their way to seek them
out — even to the point of becoming a
firefighter.

Remember that fire-setting itself doesn’t

immediately indicate pyromania. It can be
associated with other mental health
conditions, such as:

other impulse control disorders, like

pathological gambling

mood disorders, like bipolar disorder or

depression

conduct disorders

substance use disorders

Causes of pyromania
The exact cause of pyromania isn’t yet
known. Similar to other mental health
conditions, it may be related to certain
imbalances of brain chemicals, stressors, or
genetics.

Starting fires in general, without a diagnosis

of pyromania, can have numerous causes.
Some of these include:

having a diagnosis of another mental

health condition, such as a conduct
disorder

a history of abuse or neglect

misuse of alcohol or drugs

deficits in social skills or intelligence

Pyromania and genetics

While research is limited, impulsivity is

considered somewhat heritable. This means
there may be a genetic component.

This isn’t only limited to pyromania. Many

mental disorders are considered moderately
heritable.

The genetic component may also come from

our impulse control. The neurotransmitters
dopamine and serotonin, which assist in
regulating impulse control, may be
influenced by our genes.

Pyromania in children
Pyromania isn’t often diagnosed until around
age 18, though pyromania symptoms may
start showing up around puberty. At least
one report suggests pyromania onset could
occur as early as age 3.

But fire-starting as a behavior can also occur

in children for a number of reasons, none of
which include having pyromania.

Often, many children or adolescents

experiment or are curious about lighting fires
or playing with matches. This is considered
normal development. Sometimes it’s called
“curiosity fire-setting.”

If setting fires becomes an issue, or they

have the intent to cause serious damage, it’s
often investigated as a symptom of another
condition, such as ADHD or a conduct
disorder, rather than pyromania.
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Who’s at risk for pyromania?

There isn’t enough research to indicate risk
factors for someone developing pyromania.

What little research we have indicates that

people who have pyromania are:

predominantly male

around age 18 at diagnosis

more likely to have learning disabilities

or lack social skills

Diagnosing pyromania
Pyromania is rarely diagnosed, in part
because of the strict diagnostic criteria and
lack of research. It’s also often hard to
diagnose because someone would need to
actively seek help, and many people don’t.

Sometimes pyromania is only diagnosed

after a person goes in for treatment for a
different condition, such as a mood disorder
like depression.

During treatment for the other condition, a

mental health professional may seek out
information about personal history or
symptoms the person worries about, and
fire-starting may come up. From there, they
can further evaluate to see whether the
person fits the diagnostic criteria for
pyromania.

If someone is charged with arson, they may

also be evaluated for pyromania, depending
on their reasons behind starting the fire.
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Treating pyromania
Pyromania can be chronic if left untreated,
so it’s important to seek help. This condition
can go into remission, and a combination of
therapies can manage it.

There’s no single treatment doctors

prescribe for pyromania. Treatment will vary.
It may take time to find the best one or
combination for you. Options include:

cognitive behavioral therapy

other behavioral therapies, such as

aversion therapy

antidepressants, such as selective

serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

anti-anxiety drugs (anxiolytics)

antiepileptic medications

atypical antipsychotics

lithium

anti-androgens

Cognitive behavioral therapy has shown

promise for helping work through a person’s
impulses and triggers. A doctor can also help
you come up with coping techniques to deal
with the impulse.

If a child receives a pyromania or fire-setting

diagnosis, joint therapy or parental training
may also be needed.

Takeaway
Pyromania is a rarely diagnosed psychiatric
condition. It differs from fire-starting or arson.

While research has been limited due to its

rarity, the DSM-5 does recognize it as an
impulse control disorder with specific
diagnostic criteria.

If you believe you or someone you know is

experiencing pyromania, or are worried
about an unhealthy fascination with fire, seek
help. There’s nothing to be ashamed of, and
remission is possible.

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Last medically reviewed on November 15, 2019

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Conduct Disorder
Medically reviewed by Karin Gepp, PsyD —
By Rose Kivi — Updated on January 6,
2022

Types Symptoms Causes

Risk factors Diagnosis Treatments
Outlook

What is conduct disorder?

Conduct disorder is a group of behavioral
and emotional problems that usually begins
during childhood or adolescence. Children
and adolescents with the disorder have
difficulty following rules and behaving in a
socially acceptable way.

They may display aggressive, destructive,

and deceitful behaviors that can violate the
rights of others. Adults and other children
may perceive them as “bad” or delinquent
rather than as having a mental illness.

If your child has conduct disorder, they may

appear tough and confident. In reality,
however, children who have conduct
disorder are often insecure and inaccurately
believe that people are aggressive or
threatening.
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Types of conduct disorder

There are three types of conduct disorder.
They’re categorized according to the age at
which symptoms of the disorder first occur:

Childhood onset occurs when the signs

of conduct disorder appear before age
10.

Adolescent onset occurs when the

signs of conduct disorder appear
during the teen years.

Unspecified onset means the age at

which conduct disorder first occurs is
unknown.

Some children will be diagnosed with

conduct disorder with limited prosocial
emotions. Children with this specific conduct
disorder are often described as callous and
unemotional.

What are the symptoms of

conduct disorder?
Children who have conduct disorder are
often hard to control and unwilling to follow
the rules. They act impulsively without
considering the consequences of their
actions.

They also don’t consider other people’s

feelings. Your child may have conduct
disorder if they persistently display one or
more of the following behaviors:

aggressive conduct

deceitful behavior

destructive behavior
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violation of rules