title: Psychiatric aspects of arsonists.
abstract: Arson is a major source of property damage, injury and death in the United States. Many people who commit arson have extensive psychiatric histories and symptoms at the time of their fire-setting. However, traditionally the law enforcement community and the mental health community have not shared information about the characteristics of people who set fires. This study examined mental health records and/or prison files from 283 arsonists. 90% of arsonists had recorded mental health histories, and of those 36% had the major mental illness of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. 64% were abusing alcohol or drugs at the time of their firesetting. Pyromania was only diagnosed in three of the 283 cases. Different motives for setting fires are discussed; many patients were both angry and delusional. A survey instrument, which captures both psychiatric and legal data, is included. Suggestions are made for gathering future "profiling" information. A matrix approach to coding diagnosis and behavior is presented.
authors.affiliation: Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington DC, USA.
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Ritchie
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Huff
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002491:Central Nervous System Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D005391:Firesetting Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D013406:Suicide, Attempted; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D002491:Central Nervous System Agents