Symptoms of Pyromania

The impulsive behavioral disorder in which an individual, without reasons, has the urge to set fire on anything is called pyromania. If uncontrolled the interest in fire, which starts during childhood, will eventually lead to pyromania. If the childhood fun in setting fires is not controlled by adults around the child, it might balloon to this tragic disorder.

For an individual to be considered a pyromaniac, the patient must meet the following criteria: 1. Deliberately, he sets the fire more than once with no apparent reasons at all except to enjoy seeing the fire 2. The patient shows some outward emotional behavior, such as stressful anticipation, before setting the fire. 3. The patient has an intense interest in setting or watching a fire. 4. He displays pleasure, satisfaction, or gratification at what he has done at post fire setting or fire-watching. 5. The only motivation of the patient is his strong urge to just set fire and see the fire. As for causes, pyromania is a psychiatric disorder with underlying emotional trauma or social problems that push a desire in the patient to see fire burning things. It is a strong fascination for fire; and fire setting gives a euphoria to the individual after he has done his act. Other causes also include sensation seeking and antisocial behaviors or attitudes. Majority or 90% of those diagnosed with pyromania are generally male. At one time, psychiatrist Jon Grant examined by SPECT the brain of a pyromania patient and found a low blood flow within the left inferior frontal portion of the brain. This finding by Jon Grant gave the first evidence of a biological cause for pyromania.

A pyromaniac can still be treated with both psychiatric and medical therapy. Behavioral therapy is often the best treatment. Alongside behavior modification, psychotherapy treatment is the most frequently used treatment. Found to be successful in treating pyromania, based on the study of Jon Grant, was a combination treatment of drugs and behavioral therapy. Also beneficial in controlling the impulsive behavior of the patient, as in other impulse control disorder, is the use of serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Medications such as Lithium, naltrexone (ReVia), fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetene(Paxil), citalopram (Celexa), and other antidepressants are also helpful.

Hope is still there for a pyromaniac. He has to face and admit he has this disorder that needs special medical and psychiatric treatment. Once the condition of the patient is grave, to the extent he cannot admit his problem, then it is up to his family and authorities to rehabilitate him.

Jason Albany runs PanicAttackHealer.com. Never fear when panic attacks surface. Recovery is possible and there are people who can help. Read about it: Panic Attack Cures. You can read advice on many related topics, like sleep panic attacks.