Assessment and Treatment of Pyromania

Pyromania, also referred to as pathological fire setting, is a disorder defined by the deliberate and purposeful fire setting that has occurred on more than one occasion and that cannot be attributed to another psychiatric disorder. Although juvenile or adolescent fire-setting behavior or match play is a fairly common occurrence, clinical pyromania is a rare disorder associated with shame and embarrassment, significant psychosocial dysfunction, and legal consequences. Case reports and small controlled clinical trials have reported the successful treatment of firesetting behavior through both pharmacotherapeutic and psychotherapeutic means. Pyromania, however, is a largely misunderstood, unrecognized, and untreated disorder.