Prof. Darko Marčinko, Head of the Psychiatry Clinic at Zagreb University Hospital Centre, explains the key differences between the rare impulse disorder and intentional destruction, and what this means for criminal responsibility.
Prof. Darko Marčinko, psychiatrist and Head of the Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine at Zagreb University Hospital Centre, explained to Jutarnji list the psychiatric and forensic significance of pyromania and intentional, deliberate arson. He emphasized that these are two fundamentally different phenomena that are often mistakenly conflated in public discourse.
Pyromania is defined as a psychiatric condition in which an individual repeatedly and deliberately sets fires, with the act of setting the fire itself being the primary goal of the behavior, rather than a means to achieve other ends. According to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition, it is coded as F63.1, and the new 11th classification places it among impulse control disorders.
Marčinko describes three temporal phases with three corresponding mental states: "Before setting the fire, there is usually tension or emotional arousal, often accompanied by intense fascination, interest, or attraction to fire. During the act of setting the fire, the pyromaniac experiences a reduction in tension and a sense of pleasure or relief." After the act, reactions are numerous and depend on a range of factors.
To establish a diagnosis of pyromania, specific criteria must be met: at least one deliberate act of fire-setting, increased tension or arousal before the act, and a sense of pleasure or relief after it. The professor emphasizes that pyromania is a rare diagnosis.
In cases of intentional and deliberate arson, the fire can serve as a means of psychological influence. "There is an underlying injury accompanied by anger and/or a need for revenge/control. On the other hand, in pyromania, there is a pattern: tension and an urge/fascination with fire, so that setting the fire produces pleasure/relief," explains Marčinko.
From a psychodynamic perspective, the key difference lies in the role that fire plays for the individual. If a person deliberately sets a fire and it is not pyromania, the fire can be understood as behavior through which a deeper intrapsychic conflict or uncomfortable emotions, such as hatred, are expressed or regulated because the person cannot optimally control them. "So, the question is not just 'Why did they set the fire?' but 'What does this act psychologically represent and what purpose does it serve?'" says Marčinko.
Marčinko lists eight key psychodynamic motives of individuals who deliberately set fires: acting out instead of verbalization, displacement of aggression, sense of control and power, revenge and response to narcissistic injury, symbolic expression of conflict, seeking attention or validation, and externalization of internal conflict.
In the case of pyromania, fire is primarily associated with drive, arousal, and the emotional release of the act itself. When a fire is deliberately set, it can serve other purposes: revenge, expressing aggression, control, punishment, conveying unspeakable messages, or managing unbearable emotions.
Forensic psychiatric assessments of perpetrators of intentional and deliberate arson indicate that pyromania in its typical form is not present, and that the prevalence of psychiatric disorders is elevated. Particularly notable are severe personality disorders, antisocial or narcissistic types, often combined with a comorbid syndrome of malignant narcissism, as well as alcohol and psychoactive substance dependence.
"In the majority of cases, these are conditions that involve preserved sanity, and therefore there is full criminal responsibility (full penalty) as a consequence of committing the act (so these are not individuals who committed the act in a state of insanity)," emphasizes Marčinko. A personality disorder is a medical-psychological fact, while sanity is a legally relevant assessment of the mental state at the time of committing the specific act.
Among individuals who have committed criminal acts of deliberate arson, severe personality disorders do not constitute a uniform profile. Research and forensic experience more often point to a diverse group, where antisocial, emotionally unstable, narcissistic, and paranoid traits can be found. In the antisocial pattern, fire is most often used as a means to achieve a goal, such as revenge or abusing others, whereas in pyromania, the act of setting the fire itself has a central rewarding function.
