Pyromania Demographics: Gender and Age Distribution
Pyromania shows no clear gender predominance, with approximately equal distribution between males and females, and the majority of individuals with pyromania are adults, with only a minority being younger than 18 years old.
Gender Distribution
The available evidence suggests pyromania does not show the strong gender bias seen in many other psychiatric conditions:
- In the most systematic study of pyromania, 47.6% of subjects were female (10 out of 21 individuals), indicating nearly equal gender distribution 1.
- This contrasts sharply with many other impulse-control disorders and psychiatric conditions that show marked gender differences 2.
- The relatively balanced gender ratio in pyromania distinguishes it from conditions like kleptomania or trichotillomania, which show female predominance, and intermittent explosive disorder, which shows male predominance 1.
Age Distribution and Onset
The mean age of onset for pyromania is approximately 18 years, with the disorder primarily affecting young adults rather than children or adolescents 1:
- In a systematic study, the mean age at onset was 18.1 ± 5.8 years, with subjects ranging from 15-49 years of age at the time of evaluation 1.
- The mean current age of individuals with pyromania in this cohort was 26.1 ± 11.8 years, indicating the disorder typically begins in late adolescence and continues into young adulthood 1.
- While specific percentages of individuals under 18 are not explicitly stated in the available literature, the onset data suggests that a substantial minority develop symptoms during adolescence, though the disorder is predominantly diagnosed in adults 1.
Clinical Context and Comorbidity
Understanding the demographic profile is important because:
- High rates of psychiatric comorbidity exist, with 61.9% having current mood disorders and 47.6% meeting criteria for other impulse-control disorders 1.
- The disorder is associated with significant psychosocial dysfunction and legal problems regardless of gender or age 3.
- Cognitive inflexibility and executive function deficits have been documented in affected individuals, suggesting neurobiological underpinnings 3, 4.
Important Caveats
- Pyromania is a rare disorder with limited systematic research, making precise demographic estimates challenging 1, 5.
- Much fire-setting behavior does not meet DSM criteria for pyromania or legal definitions of arson, potentially affecting reported demographics 1.
- Historical diagnostic confusion and evolving definitions have complicated epidemiological understanding of this disorder 5.