Pyromania
Psychological Disorder by Ryan Traum
Psychological Disorders
Psychological Disorders are a wide range of conditions that affect mood, thinking, and behavior. Some of the most common types of psychological disorders include depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar, dementia, OCD, and autism.
Pyromania
The definition of pyromania is 'an obsessive desire to set fire to things.' To know if you are a pyromaniac, here are some of the symptoms; Deliberate and purposeful fire setting on more than one occasion, is aroused before the act, fascination with, interest in, curiosity about, or attraction with fire.
Data and Research
A study done by psychiatrist Nina Lindberg shows that less than two percent of arson and fire-setting behavior was actually due to pyromania. To add on to this research, psychologist Rebekah Doley reviewed several pyromania studies and reported that true pyromania occurs from less than one percent to four percent. Studies have shown that men are more prone to becoming pyromaniacs than women. There is no specific age range that pyromania can start at.
Connections
No celebrities or famous people are pyromaniacs so the only pyromaniacs people see are the ones in the movies. The pyromaniacs that are in movies are portrayed wrongly. An example of this is the movie "A Pyromaniac's Love Story." This portrays the character as an average kid who is actually a pyromaniac. At first people think he is doing it on accident, but then they find out that he is an actual pyromaniac. People who are pyromaniacs won't burn down their own workplace.
Treatment
Pyromania is often treated with behavioral therapy. There have actually been cases of pyromania that have been cured by the use of drugs and behavioral therapy. Usual cases however do not get fully treated. In most cases, a pyromaniacs will to set fire to things will just be decreased or slowed down.