Pyromania and Kleptomania

The journey through Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorders concludes with the following two disorders: Pyromania and Kleptomania. These are probably words we already know, but let’s go over them again.

Let’s play the little game of breaking words apart. Pyromania can be divided into pyro- meaning fire and -mania meaning strong interest. In the word kleptomania, the root klepto- means stealing. Setting fires and stealing are obviously not socially acceptable behaviors. What people with Pyromania and Kleptomania have in common is that they do not gain economic or personal advantage from the act—the gain is emotional. The act of setting a fire or stealing brings tension and excitement.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), Pyromania is characterized by:

• deliberate fire-setting on more than one occasion
• emotional arousal before the act
• gratification during the fire-setting or when witnessing/participating in its aftermath
• strong fascination with fire and with everything related to it
• the symptoms cannot be better explained by another disorder.

According to the DSM-5, Kleptomania is characterized by:

• failure to resist the impulse to steal objects that are not needed for personal use or monetary value
• emotional arousal before the theft
• gratification or relief during the theft
• the theft is not committed out of revenge or in response to hallucinations
• the symptoms cannot be better explained by another disorder.

Sources:

• American Psychiatric Association (2013) – Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.)
• Bernhill, J. W. (2014) – DSM-5 Clinical Cases

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