Pyromania Symptoms

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Pyromania is an impulse control disorder in which the affected person resists the urge to deliberately start fires.

While not always the case, this is meant to relieve stress and/or to receive some type of instant gratification.

Many people confuse pyromania with arson, in which a person is looking to make a monetary or personal gain by setting the fire.

Symptoms of Pyromania

People with pyromania feel an urge to set things on fire and have a fascination with fire.

Do you believe you have pyromania tendencies? Are you worried that a loved one is headed down this path? Although this is a serious problem, it is not so advanced that there are no treatment options.

Before you can be treated for pyromania, you need to determine if this is the issue you are dealing with. To do so, it is important to become familiar with the many symptoms.

There are pyromania symptoms that separate pyromaniacs from those who start fires for criminal reasons, such as to harm another party, get rid of evidence, or obtain a financial gain.

When in close proximity to fire or when thinking about this, pyromaniacs become fascinated to the point of feeling a sense of pleasure or relief.

Other symptoms of pyromania include but are not necessarily limited to the following:

• Deliberate fire setting on multiple occasions
• The ability to cease this activity, regardless of the harm that it is causing
• Tension or stress before the act
• Fascination with fires, ranging from the cause to the potential damage among other details
• Pleasure when setting fires or witnessing somebody else doing so

Seeking Help for Pyromania

Now that you fully understand the symptoms of pyromania, it is important to realize that help is available. Just because this is an issue you are dealing with at the present time does not mean it has to be a part of your life moving forward.

Treatment for this disorder depends on many factors, including the age of the person in question. For children, cognitive behavioral therapy is often times the best way to pinpoint the problem and devise a treatment strategy.

Generally speaking, the prognosis for children and adolescents affected by pyromania is positive. However, this is typically more difficult to treat in adults, due to the fact that patients are not always willing to cooperate. In the adult population, treatment often consists of medication to prevent stress as well as long term psychotherapy.

Knowing the symptoms of pyromania makes it easy for you to determine if you or a loved one may have a problem. Those who find that they have many symptoms of this disorder can consult with a medical professional and/or treatment facility. Regardless of age or past trouble with this disorder, it is possible to receive treatment that can lead to an eventual recovery.