Looking for pyromania: Characteristics of a consecutive sample of Finnish male criminals with histories of recidivist fire-setting between 1973 and 1993

Lindberg, Nina; Holi, Matti; Tani, Pekka; Virkkunen, Matti

doi:10.1186/1471-244x-5-47

Cited by 96 publications

(71 citation statements)

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“…In support of this, many researchers report difficulty detecting pure pyromania in samples of firesetters with a majority of researchers reporting either no pyromaniacs in their cohorts (Leong, 1992;Geller & Bertsch, 1985;OÕSullivan & Kelleher, 1987;Prins, Tennent, & Trick, 1985), or very small estimates in the region of 3 to 10% (Bourget & Bradford, 1989;Lindberg, Holi, Tani, & Virkkunen, 2005;Ritchie & Huff, 1999). It is unclear whether DSM-IV-TRÕs exclusion criteria unnecessarily limit the range of situates and persons for which diagnoses of pyromania may be made.…”

Section: Psychopathologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Firesetting Psychopathologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Within the adult firesetting population, commonly documented comorbid diagnoses are schizophrenia (Geller, 1987;McKerracher & Dacre, 1966;Ritchie & Huff, 1999;Virkkunen, 1974), substance dependence (Grant & Kim, 2007;RŠsŠnen et al, 1996;Ritchie & Huff, 1999), affective disorders (Geller, 1987;Grant & Kim, 2007;Ritchie & Huff, 1999), anxiety disorders (Grant & Kim, 2007), and personality disorder (Barnett and Spitzer, 1994;Geller, 1987;Lindberg et al, 2005;Tennent et al, 1971;Virkkunen, DeJong, Bartko, Goodwin, & Linnoila, 1989). PyromaniaÑin particularÑis also associated with impulse control disorders; most notably kleptomania and compulsive buying (Grant & Kim, 2007).…”

Section: Firesetting Psychopathologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The most common diagnoses associated with firesetting appears to be conduct disorder or antisocial personality disorder (APA, 2000;Bradford, 1982; Heath et al, 1985;Kolko, 1985;Kolko & Kazdin, 1991a;Kosky & Silburn, 1984;MacKay et al, 2006;Martin, Bergen, Richardson, Roeger, & Allison, 2004;Repo & Virkkunen, 1997;Sakheim & Osborn, 1999). In fact, empirical research with Finnish firesetter recidivists shows that antisocial personality disorder predicts recidivist firesetting (Lindberg et al, 2005) and, conversely, firesetting behavior flags those individuals characterized by the most extreme antisocial pathology (Becker, Stuewig, Herrera & McCloskey, 2004;Martin et al, 2004).Within the adult firesetting population, commonly documented comorbid diagnoses are schizophrenia (Geller, 1987;McKerracher & Dacre, 1966;Ritchie & Huff, 1999;Virkkunen, 1974), substance dependence (Grant & Kim, 2007;RŠsŠnen et al, 1996;Ritchie & Huff, 1999), affective disorders (Geller, 1987;Grant & Kim, 2007;Ritchie & Huff, 1999), anxiety disorders (Grant & Kim, 2007), and personality disorder (Barnett and Spitzer, 1994;Geller, 1987;Lindberg et al, 2005;Tennent et al, 1971;Virkkunen, DeJong, Bartko, Goodwin, & Linnoila, 1989). PyromaniaÑin particularÑis also associated with impulse control disorders; most notably kleptomania and compulsive buying (Grant & Kim, 2007).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Firesetting: Psychopathology, theory and treatment

Gannon

Pina

2010

Aggression and Violent Behavior

103

136

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In this paper, we comprehensively review the characteristics of adult firesetters, and the etiological features of firesetting. In particular, we pay attention to contemporary research available regarding the core traits and psychopathological features required to understand firesetters, and the classificatory systems and etiological theories developed to understand firesetting. This evaluation of contemporary research suggests that clinical knowledge and practice relating to firesetting is extremely underdeveloped relative to other areas of forensicclinical psychology. We conclude that there are very few etiological theories available to guide consulting clinicians in this area, and little information available specifying the exact criminogenic needs associated with firesetters, or how these needs compare to other offender groups. The significant lack of contemporary treatment programs designed to target firesetting behavior is also noted. We conclude by highlighting core areas for future research and treatment progression. Latest available statistics show that around 323,900 intentionally set fires were recorded by US fire departments in 2005 and these fires caused 490 deaths, 9,100 injuries, and created over 1 billion dollars of costs relating to property destruction (Hall, 2007). Given the enormous societal costs associated with intentional firesetting, it is curious that current psychological understanding of this act is relatively underdeveloped, especially when one compares the extant firesetting literature to that relating to violence or sexual offending. The only existing reviews on firesetting behavior have tended either to focus solely upon child and juvenile firesetters (Kolko, 1985), or have approached firesetting from a psychiatric perspective (Blumberg, 1981;Geller, 1987;Geller, 2008;Ritchie & Huff, 1999). Thus, there is a strong need for a psychologically-informed review on firesetting for consulting clinicians and forensic psychologists who work with adult firesetters.Our paper does not intend to provide an exhaustive review of firesetting since to do so would entail numerous historical pieces. However, we do aim to provide a comprehensive and contemporary overview of the diagnostic criteria, etiological features, theory, and treatment relevant to adult firesetting. Our main aim is to provide clinical practitioners with a comprehensive psychological understanding of adult firesetters, paying particular attention to clinical and etiological features, firesetting behavioral specificity, issues of diagnostic criteria relevant to pathological firesetting, and current treatment issues. Based upon this review, we then make some suggestions for future empirical research and evidence-based practice relevant to firesetting. In order to increase the clarity and focus of this review, and unless otherwise stated, we will focus our discussions on firesetting committed by individuals over the age of 18. We will, however, refer to research with juveniles and children where we feel it is appropriate to ...

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Section: Psychopathologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Firesetting Psychopathologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Firesetting Psychopathologymentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Firesetting: Psychopathology, theory and treatment

Gannon

Pina

2010

Aggression and Violent Behavior

103

136

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“…Une certaine ambiguïté est évidente en ce qui concerne l'incapacité à résister à une impulsion Plusieurs auteurs soulignent aussi, à juste titre, qu'au vu des restrictions contenues dans les critères, le diagnostic de pyromanie devient rare [13,20,24,29], ce qui les amène à douter de l'utilité de cette notion et à proposer de le supprimer des nosographies futures [19,38].…”

Section: Ambigüités Nosographiques Du Diagnostic De Pyromanieunclassified

L’acte incendiaire, son sujet et sa signification : propositions à partir du Saint Genet de Jean-Paul Sartre

Englebert

2015

Annales Médico-psychologiques, revue psychiatrique

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2 RésuméDans cet article, nous étudions l'acte incendiaire selon une méthode que nous empruntons à la philosophie de Jean-Paul Sartre. Dans la psychobiographie qu'il consacre à Jean Genet, il pose les questions de l'herméneutique de l'acte infractionnel et de sa signification sociale.Après un rappel des notions essentielles de la littérature internationale concernant les incendiaires (et notamment les confusions avec la pyromanie), nous proposons des pistes phénoménologiques et existentielles pour discuter de l'acte infractionnel (ici en particulier celui de mettre le feu) en dehors du causalisme psychique inspiré de la psychanalyse. La « criminogenèse » laisse ici place à une interrogation identitaire dans laquelle nous discutons de la place que prend le feu dans l'histoire en devenir du sujet et dans ses relations à autrui. Summary ObjectivesIn this paper we studied fire setters with the hermeneutics' method from the philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre. In the psychobiography of Jean Genet, the philosopher raises issues of the infractional acting and its social meaning. MethodsAfter recalling the basic notions of international literature about fire setters (including confusion with pyromania, diagnostic problems proposed by the DSM IV and the concept of "communicative arson"), we propose phenomenological and existential clues to discuss the act and its meaning. It is the unlawful act that is analysed and more specifically the arson. We propose different analysis than the psychic causality which is inspired by psychoanalysis. The criminogenesis gives way to a questioning of identity, about the place of fire in the subject's 3 history and within its relationships to others. As proposed by Sartre, the paradigm of this research is to consider the meaning "as the return of the future in the present".The second field of this study is an analysis of three clinical cases. These cases are the result of a forensic practice. The method is focused on the analysis of a narrative and autobiographical production. By this way we studied the temporal process of these three arsonists. ResultsA comparative reading of the psychobiography of Jean Genet written by Sartre and of the situation of arsonists gives accurate information. The "criminogenesis" gives way to a questioning of identity. In this way we discuss the meaning of fire in the subject's history and within its relationship to others. We highlight the inscription of the act in the social and constitutive process of the individual.From the clinical material, the author demonstrates a link between arson and construction of identity. Identity is considered as a dialectic between "ipse" and "idem", as suggested by Ricoeur. We can therefore consider the real sense that the arson has from the perspective of the actor but also from the viewpoint of the society and these conceptions may be similar or different. In clinical practice, we recommend to pay special attention to how the fire is part of the biography of the patient. ConclusionsThe fascination for fire is a source of meanin...

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Psychodynamics of Arson

Beaman

2015

Wiley Encyclopedia of Forensic Science

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Arson is a crime closely correlated with mental illness. There are different motives for Arson. These motives can be categorized broadly as psychological or nonpsychological, although there is considerable overlap. The psychological motives can be further separated based on the nature of the mental state of the individual at the time of the crime. This article outlines said motives and the overlap between Arson and mental illness.

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Looking for pyromania: Characteristics of a consecutive sample of Finnish male criminals with histories of recidivist fire-setting between 1973 and 1993

Abstract: Background: As pyromania is a rare diagnosis with questionable validity, we aimed to describe a forensic psychiatric population of arson recidivists.

Cited by 96 publications

References 20 publications

Firesetting: Psychopathology, theory and treatment

Firesetting: Psychopathology, theory and treatment

L’acte incendiaire, son sujet et sa signification : propositions à partir du Saint Genet de Jean-Paul Sartre

Psychodynamics of Arson

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