A child pyromaniac is a child with an impulse-control disorder that is primarily distinguished by a compulsion to set fires in order to relieve built-up tension. [1] Child pyromania is the rarest form of fire-setting.[ citation needed ]
Most young children are not diagnosed with pyromania, but rather with conduct disorders. [1] A key feature of pyromania is repeated association with fire without a real motive. Pyromania is not a commonly diagnosed disorder, and only occurs in about one percent of the population. [2] It can occur in children as young as three years old.
About ninety percent of the people officially diagnosed with pyromania are male. Pyromaniacs and people with other mental illnesses are responsible for about 14% of fires. [3]
Many clinical studies have found that fire-setting rarely occurs by itself, but usually occurs in addition to other socially unacceptable behavior. The motives that have earned the most attention are pleasure, a cry for help, retaliation against adults, and a desire to reunite the family. [4]
Fire-setting among children and teens can be recurring or periodic. [1] Some children and teens may set fires often to release tension. Others may only seek to set fires during times of great stress. Some of the symptoms of pyromania are depression, conflicts in relationships, and trouble coping with stress and anxiety. [1]
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , also known as the DSM, gives six standards that must be met for a child to be officially diagnosed with pyromania:
Even though fire-setting and pyromania are prevalent in children, these standards are hard to apply to their age group. There is not a lot of experience in diagnosing pyromania, mainly because of the little experience that health care professionals have with fire-setting. [1]
There are many important distinctions between a child pyromaniac and a child fire-setter. [5] In general, a fire-setter is any individual who feels the impulse to set a fire for unusual reasons. [4] [5]
While a child fire-setter is usually curious about fire and has the desire to learn more about it, [4] a child pyromaniac has an unusually bizarre impulse or desire to set intentional fires. [6]
Pyromania, also known as pathological fire-setting, is when the desire to set fires is repetitive and destructive to people or property. [4] The most important difference between pyromania and fire-setting is that pyromania is a mental disorder, but fire-setting is simply a behavior and can be more easily fixed.
Minor or non-severe fire-setting is defined as "accidental or occasional fire-starting behavior" by unsupervised children. [4] Usually these fires are started when a curious child plays with matches, lighters, or small fires. [4] Juveniles in this minor group average at most 2.5 accidental fires in their lifetime.
Most children in this group are between five and ten years of age and do not realize the dangers of playing with fire. [4] Pathological fire-setting manifests when the action is "a deliberate, planned, and persistent behavior". [4] Juveniles in this severe group set about 5.3 fires. [4] Most young children are not diagnosed as having pyromania but conduct disorders. [1]
There are two basic types of children that start fires. [7] The first type is the curiosity fire-setter who starts the fire just to find out what will happen. The second type is the problem fire-setter who usually sets fires based on changes in their environment or due to a conduct disorder.
Fire-setting is made up of five subcategories: the curious fire-setter, the sexually motivated fire-setter, the "cry for help" fire-setter, the "severely disturbed" group, and the rare form of pyromania. [4] [8] Pyromania usually surfaces in childhood, but there is no conclusive data about the average age of onset.
Child pyromaniacs are usually filled with an uncontrollable urge to set fires to relieve tension. Not much is known about what genetically causes pyromania but there have been many studies that have explored the topic. [9]
The causes of fire setting among young children and youths can be attributed to many factors, which are divided into individual and environmental factors:
If a child is diagnosed with pyromania, there are treatment options despite the lack of scientific research on the genetic cause. Studies have shown that children with repeat cases of setting fires tend to respond better to a case-management approach rather than a medical approach. [1]
The first crucial step for treatment should be parents sitting down with their child and having a one-on-one interview. The interview itself should try to determine which stresses on the family, methods of discipline, or other factors contribute to the child's uncontrollable desire to set fires. Some examples of treatment methods are problem-solving skills, anger management, communication skills, aggression replacement training, and cognitive restructuring. [1]
The chances that a child will recover from pyromania are very slim according to recent studies, but there are ways to channel the child's desire to set fires to relieve tension [1] —for example, alternate activities such as playing a sport or an instrument.
Another method of treatment is fire-safety education. [12] At times, the best method of treatment is child counseling or a residential treatment center. [12]
However, since cases of child pyromania are so rare, there has not been enough research done on the success of these treatment methods. The most common and effective treatment of pyromania in children is behavioral modification. [4] The results usually range from fair to poor. [4] Behavioral modification seems to work on children with pyromaniac tendencies about 95% of the time. [4]
Early studies into the causes of pyromania come from Freudian psychoanalysis. Around 1850, there were many arguments about the causes of pyromania.
The two biggest sides of the argument were whether pyromania comes from a mental or genetic disorder or moral deficiency. Freud reasoned that fire-setting was an archaic desire to gain power over nature. [1]
The first study done on fire-setting behavior in children was in 1940 and was credited to Helen Yarnall, who compared fire-setting to fears of castration in male children and said that by setting a fire, some young males feel that they have gained power over adults. [13] This 1940 study also introduced the idea that a good predictor of violent behavior in adult life is fire-setting and cruelty towards animals as a child. [13]
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inappropriate.
Conduct disorder (CD) is a mental disorder diagnosed in childhood or adolescence that presents itself through a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior that includes theft, lies, physical violence that may lead to destruction, and reckless breaking of rules, in which the basic rights of others or major age-appropriate norms are violated. These behaviors are often referred to as "antisocial behaviors." It is often seen as the precursor to antisocial personality disorder, which by definition cannot be diagnosed until the individual is 18 years old. Conduct disorder may result from parental rejection and neglect and can be treated with family therapy, as well as behavioral modifications and pharmacotherapy. Conduct disorder is estimated to affect 51.1 million people globally as of 2013.
Pyromania is an impulse control disorder in which individuals repeatedly fail to resist impulses to deliberately start fires, to relieve some tension or for instant gratification. The term pyromania comes from the Greek word πῦρ. Pyromania is distinct from arson, the deliberate setting of fires for personal, monetary or political gain. Pyromaniacs start fires to release anxiety and tension, or for arousal. Other impulse disorders include kleptomania and intermittent explosive disorder.
Kleptomania is the inability to resist the urge to steal items, usually for reasons other than personal use or financial gain. First described in 1816, kleptomania is classified in psychiatry as an impulse control disorder. Some of the main characteristics of the disorder suggest that kleptomania could be an obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorder, but also share similarities with addictive and mood disorders.
Physical abuse is any intentional act causing injury, trauma, bodily harm or other physical suffering to another person or animal by way of bodily contact. In most cases, children are the victims of physical abuse, but adults can also be victims, as in cases of domestic violence or workplace aggression. Alternative terms sometimes used include physical assault or physical violence, and may also include sexual abuse. Physical abuse may involve more than one abuser, and more than one victim.
Adjustment disorder is a maladaptive response to a psychosocial stressor. It is classified as a mental disorder. The maladaptive response usually involves otherwise normal emotional and behavioral reactions that manifest more intensely than usual, causing marked distress, preoccupation with the stressor and its consequences, and functional impairment.
Impulse-control disorder (ICD) is a class of psychiatric disorders characterized by impulsivity – failure to resist a temptation, an urge, or an impulse; or having the inability to not speak on a thought. Many psychiatric disorders feature impulsivity, including substance-related disorders, behavioral addictions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, conduct disorder and some mood disorders.
Child psychopathology refers to the scientific study of mental disorders in children and adolescents. Oppositional defiant disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism spectrum disorder are examples of psychopathology that are typically first diagnosed during childhood. Mental health providers who work with children and adolescents are informed by research in developmental psychology, clinical child psychology, and family systems. Lists of child and adult mental disorders can be found in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Edition (ICD-10), published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). In addition, the Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood is used in assessing mental health and developmental disorders in children up to age five.
Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is listed in the DSM-5 under Disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders and defined as "a pattern of angry/irritable mood, argumentative/defiant behavior, or vindictiveness". This behavior is usually targeted toward peers, parents, teachers, and other authority figures. Unlike conduct disorder (CD), those with ODD do not show patterns of aggression towards people or animals, destruction of property, theft, or deceit. It has certain links to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and as many as one half of children with ODD also fulfill the diagnostic criteria for ADHD.
Gender dysphoria in children (GD), also known as gender incongruence of childhood, is a formal diagnosis for children who experience significant discontent due to a mismatch between their assigned sex and gender identity. The diagnostic label gender identity disorder in children (GIDC) was used by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) until it was renamed gender dysphoria in children in 2013 with the release of the DSM-5. The diagnosis was renamed to remove the stigma associated with the term disorder.
Emotional and behavioral disorders refer to a disability classification used in educational settings that allows educational institutions to provide special education and related services to students who have displayed poor social and/or academic progress.
Bipolar disorder in children, or pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD), is a controversial mental disorder in children and adolescents that is mainly diagnosed in the United States, and is hypothesized to be like bipolar disorder (BD) in adults, thus is proposed as an explanation for extreme changes in mood and behavior accompanying periods of depressed or irritable moods and periods of elevated moods so called manic or hypomanic episodes. These shifts are sometimes quick, but usually are gradual. The average age of onset of pediatric bipolar disorder is unclear, but the risk increases with the onset of puberty. Bipolar disorder is rare in childhood. Pediatric bipolar disorder is typically more severe and has a poorer prognosis than bipolar disorder with onset in late-adolescence or adulthood.
Childhood trauma is often described as serious adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Children may go through a range of experiences that classify as psychological trauma; these might include neglect, abandonment, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and physical abuse, witnessing abuse of a sibling or parent, or having a mentally ill parent. These events have profound psychological, physiological, and sociological impacts and can have negative, lasting effects on health and well-being such as unsocial behaviors, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and sleep disturbances. Similarly, children with mothers who have experienced traumatic or stressful events during pregnancy can increase the child's risk of mental health disorders and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Kaiser Permanente and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 1998 study on adverse childhood experiences determined that traumatic experiences during childhood are a root cause of many social, emotional, and cognitive impairments that lead to increased risk of unhealthy self-destructive behaviors, risk of violence or re-victimization, chronic health conditions, low life potential and premature mortality. As the number of adverse experiences increases, the risk of problems from childhood through adulthood also rises. Nearly 30 years of study following the initial study has confirmed this. Many states, health providers, and other groups now routinely screen parents and children for ACEs.
Child and adolescent psychiatry is a branch of psychiatry that focuses on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental disorders in children, adolescents, and their families. It investigates the biopsychosocial factors that influence the development and course of psychiatric disorders and treatment responses to various interventions. Child and adolescent psychiatrists primarily use psychotherapy and/or medication to treat mental disorders in the pediatric population.
A residential treatment center (RTC), sometimes called a rehab, is a live-in health care facility providing therapy for substance use disorders, mental illness, or other behavioral problems. Residential treatment may be considered the "last-ditch" approach to treating abnormal psychology or psychopathology.
The Macdonald triad is a set of three factors, the presence of any two of which are considered to be predictive of, or associated with, violent tendencies, particularly with relation to serial offenses. The triad was first proposed by psychiatrist J. M. Macdonald in "The Threat to Kill", a 1963 article in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Small-scale studies conducted by psychiatrists Daniel Hellman and Nathan Blackman, and then FBI agents John E. Douglas and Robert K. Ressler along with Ann Burgess, claimed substantial evidence for the association of these childhood patterns with later predatory behavior. Although it remains an influential and widely taught hypothesis, subsequent research has generally not validated this line of thinking.
Depression is a mental disorder characterized by prolonged unhappiness or irritability, accompanied by a constellation of somatic and cognitive signs and symptoms such as fatigue, apathy, sleep problems, loss of appetite, loss of engagement; low self-regard or worthlessness; difficulty concentrating or indecisiveness; or recurrent thoughts of death or suicide. Depression in childhood and adolescence is similar to adult major depressive disorder, although young sufferers may exhibit increased irritability or behavioral dyscontrol instead of the more common sad, empty, or hopeless feelings seen with adults. Children who are under stress, experiencing loss, or have other underlying disorders are at a higher risk for depression. Childhood depression is often comorbid with mental disorders outside of other mood disorders; most commonly anxiety disorder and conduct disorder. Depression also tends to run in families. In a 2016 Cochrane review cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), third wave CBT and interpersonal therapy demonstrated small positive benefits in the prevention of depression. Psychologists have developed different treatments to assist children and adolescents suffering from depression, though the legitimacy of the diagnosis of childhood depression as a psychiatric disorder, as well as the efficacy of various methods of assessment and treatment, remains controversial.
Multisystemic therapy (MST) is an intense, family-focused and community-based treatment program for juveniles with serious criminal offenses who are possibly abusing substances. It is also a therapy strategy to teach their families how to foster their success in recovery.
Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is an anxiety disorder in which an individual experiences excessive anxiety regarding separation from home and/or from people to whom the individual has a strong emotional attachment. Separation anxiety is a natural part of the developmental process. It is most common in infants and little children, typically between the ages of six to seven months to three years, although it may pathologically manifest itself in older children, adolescents and adults. Unlike SAD, normal separation anxiety indicates healthy advancements in a child's cognitive maturation and should not be considered a developing behavioral problem.
Externalizing disorders are mental disorders characterized by externalizing behaviors, maladaptive behaviors directed toward an individual's environment, which cause impairment or interference in life functioning. In contrast to individuals with internalizing disorders who internalize their maladaptive emotions and cognitions, such feelings and thoughts are externalized in behavior in individuals with externalizing disorders. Externalizing disorders are often specifically referred to as disruptive behavior disorders or conduct problems which occur in childhood. Externalizing disorders, however, are also manifested in adulthood. For example, alcohol- and substance-related disorders and antisocial personality disorder are adult externalizing disorders. Externalizing psychopathology is associated with antisocial behavior, which is different from and often confused for asociality.
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