Pathological Firesetting (Pyromania)

Firesetting, arson, pyromania, and the forensic mental health expert.

Firesetting is a common behavior that is frequently encountered by forensic mental health experts when consulting on criminal and civil legal cases. Despite its prevalence, minimal attention has been paid in the literature to conducting firesetting-related forensic evaluations. In this article, we discuss the differences in the behavior of firesetting, the crime of arson, and the diagnosis of p...

Firesetting in Childhood and Adolescence

1 National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Jerusalem, Israel 2 Health Services, Division for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services, Jerusalem, Israel 3 Division of Pediatrics, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel 4 Division of Adolescent Medicine, Kentucky Children’s Hospital, University of Kentucky, ...

Explorations of ego structures of firesetting children.

Commentary: Models and correlates of firesetting behavior.

From antiquity, fire has played an integral role in human survival. Numerous references to its mythical and religious significance can be found in ancient biblical and mythological texts. In modern times, however, fire has been less a symbol of reverence and too often a tool of violence and destruction. Every year in the United States, approximately 500,000 incendiary and suspect fires occur, c...

Firesetting, Sexual Abuse and Long-Term Consequences

In this chapter we summarize the limited studies on post-pubertal consequences of female childhood sexual abuse that includes both psychological distress and physiological stress. The characteristics of sexual abuse are discussed and determined to play a major role in the degree of trauma experienced and in the later effects. The concept of hormones and how disruptions in various endocrine syst...