Pyromania

A disorder characterized by multiple acts of or attempts at setting fire to property, preceded by tension or affective arousal, with a fascination with fire and feeling of pleasure or relief after setting fire, without an external motive such as monetary gain or revenge.

Symptoms

• Recurring impulses to set fires without external motive (also: Recurring impulses to set fires (without external motive), strong impulse to set fires, compulsion to commit arson, fire-setting urge)
• Mounting inner tension preceding fire-setting (also: Mounting inner tension preceding fire-setting, mounting tension before fire-setting, growing tension before arson)
• Fascination with fire, conflagrations and fire-fighting (also: Fascination with fire, conflagrations and fire-fighting, fascination with fire, interest in fire, preoccupation with fire)
• Pleasure or relief immediately after setting fire (also: Pleasure or relief immediately after setting fire, pleasure or relief after fire-setting, relief after arson)
• Exclusion of financial, revenge or political motive (also: no financial motive, no desire for revenge, no ideological motive, fire-setting for its own sake)
• No association with intoxication, schizophrenia or antisocial personality (also: not under influence of substances, not secondary to schizophrenia, no antisocial pattern)

How to recognise

In the ICD-11 framework, the core symptoms taken into account when recognising Pyromania are:

• silny impuls do podpalania
• narastające napięcie przed podpaleniem

Differential diagnosis

When diagnosing Pyromania, the following ICD-11 disorders should be considered in the differential diagnosis:

• Dyssocjalne zaburzenie behawioralne (6C91)
• Zaburzenie dwubiegunowe typu I (6A60)

Synonyms and related terms

Recurring impulses to set fires (without external motive), strong impulse to set fires, compulsion to commit arson, fire-setting urge, mounting tension before fire-setting, growing tension before arson, fascination with fire, interest in fire, preoccupation with fire, pleasure or relief after fire-setting, relief after arson, no financial motive, no desire for revenge, no ideological motive, fire-setting for its own sake, not under influence of substances, not secondary to schizophrenia, no antisocial pattern

Frequently asked questions

What are the symptoms of Pyromania?

Symptoms associated with Pyromania (ICD-11 6C70) include: Recurring impulses to set fires without external motive, Mounting inner tension preceding fire-setting, Fascination with fire, conflagrations and fire-fighting, Pleasure or relief immediately after setting fire, Exclusion of financial, revenge or political motive, No association with intoxication, schizophrenia or antisocial personality.

What disorders are in the differential diagnosis of Pyromania?

The differential diagnosis of Pyromania (6C70) includes: Dyssocjalne zaburzenie behawioralne (6C91), Zaburzenie dwubiegunowe typu I (6A60).

WHO ICD-11 source

View this entry in the official WHO ICD-11 browser: 6C70 – WHO ICD-11