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Chapter 10 - Fire-Setting and Arson

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2024

By
Elliott Carthy ,
Bradley Hillier  and
Faisil Sethi
Edited by
Roland Dix ,
Stephen Dye  and
Stephen M. Pereira
Roland Dix
Affiliation:
Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, Gloucester
Stephen Dye
Affiliation:
Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust, Ipswich
Stephen M. Pereira
Affiliation:
Keats House, London
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Summary

This chapter defines the terminological differences between the terms ‘fire-setting’, ‘arson’ and ‘pyromania’, including their place in current diagnostic manuals. An epidemiological perspective on fire-setting in those with mental disorder as well as classification systems and theories of fire-setting with prevailing conceptual models of fire-setting and mental disorder is described. Current approaches in the risk assessment of fire-setting and psychological and pharmacological interventions in fire-setting are discussed. Finally, a care pathway to guide clinical and risk assessment of the patient with fire-setting as a feature of their behaviour or history is suggested.

Keywords

fire-settingarsonpyromaniaforensicinpatientmental illnesssecuretwo-axis theory
Type
Chapter
Information
Psychiatric Intensive Care , pp. 124 - 138
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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