Pyromania Disorder & Addiction: Signs, Risks, Treatment Centers

Pyromania Disorder & Addiction: Signs, Risks, Treatment Centers

Looking for pyromania disorder treatment centers and more information o this disorder? If so then you have come to the right resources.

So what is a pyromania?

Before diving into pyromania disorder treatments and other related information, lets first understand what it is.

This is a very rare mental disorder where the patient gets satisfaction or a sense of relief after starting fires. This practice is harmful to both the patient as well as his or her surroundings.

The patients are also very obsessed with the pieces of equipment that cause fires.

The cases of pyromania are very rare and believed to be less than 1% of Americans. This makes the analysis of this disorder very difficult and much is not known about this disease.

It is an example of impulsive control disorder along with intermittent explosive disorder, kleptomania disorder, etc.

Let us delve into the intricacies of this rare disease in this article.

Symptom and signs of pyromania disorder

The biggest symptom of pyromania disorder is the frequency of the starting of fire by the patient.

The normal frequency is every six weeks.

Once this frequency has been established, the patient must be studied for further symptoms on the fulfillment of which, the patient must be sent for pyromania disorder treatment.

• Unnatural excitement before starting a fire
• A sense of relief or pleasure on seeing the burning of a fire started by themselves
• Attraction to all things concerning fires
• An uncontrollable impulse to start a fire
• Conduct disorders
• Mood disorders similar to depression and bipolar disorder
• Impulse control disorders such as kleptomania and gambling

However, one thing must be kept in mind that the exact act of setting a fire does not indicate that the patient suffers from pyromania.

They might be suffering from any other disorder. There have been cases where the patient has continued their obsession with fire and ended up choosing the firefighter for their profession.

Causes and risk factors of pyromania disorder

Despite studies of this rare case of this type of impulsive control disorder, no exact cause has been found. However, below are possible causes:

• Lacking in intelligence or Social Skills
• Substance abuse, usually drugs and alcohol
• Past experiences of neglect and abuse, usually by family members
• Presence of another mental disorder such as Bipolar disorder

People who usually do something due to an unexplained impulse are very prone to developing any form of impulsive control disorder including pyromania.

After rigorous study, it has been found that the following are at a higher risk of developing symptoms of Pyromania:

• People with a lack of social skills
• Men who constantly drink
• People who develop symptoms of a mental disorder after the age of 18

Common co-occurring disorders

The following are some other mental disorders that could accompany Pyromaniac patients.

• Substance-use Disorders: This is a severe form of the disorder that affects both the body as well as the brain of the body. The patient in question is unable to control his or her urge to use alcohol or any form of medication or an illegal drug.

• Bipolar disorder: This is a severe mental disorder where the patient suffers from extreme mood swings. There are episodes with very high energy and episodes with very low energy. This is a serious mental disorder that usually accompanies Pyromania.

• Anxiety disorders: This is another mental disorder where the patient suffers from intense anxiety attacks and periods of tension regarding unnecessary events. The periods of tension are so severe that they disrupt the normal functioning of the patient.

• Depressive disorders: Depressive disorders include the patient feeling long periods of sadness and loss of interest in any form of activity which they found very interesting previously. There is no proper cure for this disorder and the patient usually has suicidal thoughts while in depression.

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): This disorder is caused if the patient has undergone severe and intense physical and emotional events. Such patients usually suffer from partial memory loss, insomnia, irregular sleep patterns and depression among the many other symptoms.

• Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD): This disorder is commonly found in children. They constantly oppose any form of authority and become hostile towards the people surrounding them. They become irritable and argumentative and very aggressive.

• Conduct disorder: This is also very common among children and they refuse to behave according to societal norms. They throw tantrums and refuse to follow any rules.
• Antisocial personality disorder: Commonly known as Physcopathic disorder, the patient constantly violates the societal norms as well the rules of other human beings and does not show any regret after doing this. They do not care for the safety of themselves or others surrounding them.

Addressing and dealing with the above at the same time during a pyromania treatment is very important.

Pyromania and substance abuse

A study of 384 adolescents in the age group of 12-18 years showed that adolescents who deliberately set fire suffer from mental health problems, suicidal behavior and substance abuse. The patients enter a state of trance due to the effect of the substance consumed and they may go on harming others without even registering their actions.

Pyromania disorder treatment programs

There are many ways which are employed for the pyromania disorder treatment out of which the following are the most effective:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: This is one of the shortest forms of therapy where the patient is constantly asked questions about how they feel about a certain event. They are then inspired to take a positive step, a step that is opposite of what they would have done in case of being controlled by the impulse. The patient is told about positive feelings, how to feel them and act accordingly when triggered. An 18 year old suffering from pyromania showed complete remission from his urge to set fires after undergoing 3 weeks of CBT with 1 week of topiramate.

• Motivational Interviewing: This is a very positive process where the patient is guided in the ways that can make him think positively. The patient is provided with events and then asked to make a decision. They are then told as to how positive thinking can help them take the correct step which will improve their quality of life and create an overall positive environment.

• Relapse Prevention: This type of therapy focuses on ways to prevent the relapse of the patient. For this, the main areas of a trigger are identified and the patient is made aware of these triggers and then the patient is guided into how to behave in case of such a trigger.

• Contingency Management: This type of therapy makes use of a reward and punishment system to counsel the patient in taking steps towards a better life. The patient is rewarded if they successfully take steps towards a positive objective. The patient is also punished if they are unable to fulfill any positive objective.

• Family Therapy: This involves the family of the patient and the therapist tries to mend all broken relations that the patient might have with their family. The family is also instructed as to how they can support the patient and help them with their recovery.

Pyromania rehab centers program option

Rehabilitation centers programs play an important role in pyromania disorder treatment and these are the rehab options available.

• Inpatient Rehab:  Inpatient pyromania rehab is when the patient checks in fulltime into a rehab facility for the duration of the program. This program is the most expensive and for those with chronic pyromania.

• Outpatient Rehab: Outpatient pyromania rehab is when treatment sessions are attended at the facility but the patient goes home afterward. This is a part-time program and mostly for those with non-severe pyromania.

• Intensive Outpatient Rehab: The intensive outpatient pyromania rehab is an outpatient program that enables the patients to handle their day to business without living at the facility. The patient may spend 12 hours a week or more getting a pyromania treatment.

Pyromania rehab facilities typical process

To have a successful pyromania disorder treatment program, the following steps are typically followed:

1. Assessments: The patient undergoes many mental and physical tests to confirm their present health status and how severe their disorder is and see if other disorders such as substance use disorder need to be addressed. These assessments help the medical staff to build a plan for the fast recovery of the patient.
2. Medical Detoxification: This step is only if the patient has pyromania and substance abuse. The patient with drug or alcohol problems too will go through this process to clean the body from the substance toxins and handle withdrawal symptoms.
3. Rehab Therapies: This the part where the main rehab therapies such as behavioral, psychotherapy, family, and relapse therapy start.
4. Aftercare: This is the most important part of the rehab program as it is focused on preventing the patient from relapsing. This is done by engaging the patient in support group attendance, transition houses, continued psychotherapy, sober living conditions, follow-up programs, and life skills development programs.

Get connected with a rehab facility 

Ready to check into a pyromania treatment program? Call 866-579-8780 now to speak with a rehab center about your treatment options and how to get started.