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Results for “Firesetting Behavior”

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Comprehensive treatment of chronic fire setting in a severely disordered boy.

A comprehensive, multidimensional treatment strategy was designed for a severely behaviorally disordered 10-year-old boy with a 7-year history of setting fires. The study replicates a previous study designed to suppress fire setting, teach appropriate substitute behavior and increase awareness of the consequences of fire setting. Three additional components were added to the original treatment program: relaxation training, a response cost for fire setting, and a visit to a hospital burn unit (overt sensitization). Follow-up data 1 year later indicate that treatment was successful in extinguishing all fire-setting behaviors. The additional treatment components presented in this paper may add to the efficacy and sustained durability of treatment gains in difficult, low frequency fire setting behavior.

Behavior Therapy↗

Children who set fires: some background and behavioral characteristics.

Background and behavior of 90 children identified as fire-setters in a population of 544 referred for residential treatment is presented. None exhibited fire-setting behavior while in residential treatment, but questions are raised about alternative treatments achieving the same result. A current bibliography is provided.

Adolescent↗

[On the psychiatric examination of fire-raisers].

By far not every fire-raiser suffers from so-called pyromania, i.e. a pathological urge to raise fire. It is indispensable to differentiate between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, whenever a person is accused of arson. The former aims at external gain, such as the sum insured, while the latter tends towards manipulation of internal states. The leading motive may be frustration, fascination, or in rare cases even sexual arousal. The concept of pyromania, as established by French psychiatrist Esquirol, is not a validated one in all parts; today's diagnostic manuals take "pyromania" rather as a special form of a general disorder of impulse control. The author takes a case report to demonstrate the most important issues in evaluating and prognosticating fire raising behavior.

Adult↗

Burn Education Awareness Recognition and Support (BEARS): a community-based juvenile firesetters assessment and treatment program.

In response to the continued staggering statistics of fires set by juveniles and the devastating personal and property costs that are associated with these fires, the Burn and Shock Trauma Institute of Loyola University Medical Center, in collaboration with the State Fire Marshal's Office; the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance; and representatives from the firefighting community, law enforcement, emergency medicine and mental health, came together to create the Burn Education Awareness Recognition and Support Program. Through financial grant support from the International Association of Firefighters, the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance, and other private donations, the Burn Education Awareness Recognition and Support Program is able to provide a free resource to anyone who is concerned about a child playing with fire. Specially trained firefighters assess each child using the tool developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In 2002, we assessed 42 children; 29 of those children were referred through the courts. So far, none of the children treated in our program have returned to fire-setting behaviors.

Adolescent↗

Cerebellar arachnoid cyst in a firesetter: the weight of organic lesions in arson.

A 52-year-old female patient was accused of arson; the patient had had an arachnoid cyst of the cerebellar vermis. Even after surgery, she showed marked instability of mood and pseudologia fantastica, but did not suffer from cognitive impairment. Possible associations of the presence of this cerebellar arachnoid cyst and behavioral disturbances are discussed.

Arachnoid Cysts↗

[Multiple homicide. Forensic medicine and criminal aspects].

36 human beings, of whom the youngest was one and a half years and the oldest 76 years old, fell victims to 16 multiple homicides each committed by one perpetrator. 7 of the homicides were committed outside the family and other lasting relationships. 9 homicides can be assigned to the group of "family tragedies". As far as the victims of the first group are concerned, the course of events in committing the crimes is of particular medical-criminalistic interest. There is a more detailed description of the constellation of two homicides in the course of which the victims were either removed by burying their corpses or a fire was set in order to keep the crime secret. The way the weapon was used, the dependence on the situation of the crime as well as the perpetrator's behavior after committing the crime are discussed and compared in both case groups.

Adolescent↗

Adolescent psychiatric emergencies.

The adolescent in a psychiatric crisis is best seen alone first, to preclude observer bias. Emotionally charged areas of discussion must not be avoided. Suicidal and homicidal threats or attempts are challenging emergencies. Working with parents is essential for effective management. Is the fire-setter retarded or psychotic? Family therapy is often the treatment of choice in sexual "emergencies." Bizarre behavior should suggest drugs, severe anxiety or psychosis. School phobia is a particularly complex problem.

Adolescent↗

Reactive hypoglycemic tendency among arsonists.

A reactive hypoglycemic tendency during the glucose tolerance test was connected with fire-setting behavior. These hypoglycemic arsonists not only fulfilled the criteria for either intermittent explosive disorder or violent antisocial personality, but also those for borderline personality disorder. They seemed to differ from other arsonists in alcohol abuse and behavior during the fire-setting acts, and, in personality profile in MMPI, also differed from classical violent offenders with intermittent explosive disorder.

Adult↗

Criminal psychological profiling of serial arson crimes.

The practice of criminal psychological profiling is frequently cited as being applicable to serial arson crimes. Despite this claim, there does not appear to be any empirical research that examines serial arson offence behaviors in the context of profiling. This study seeks to develop an empirical model of serial arsonist behaviors that can be systematically associated with probable offender characteristics. Analysis has produced a model of offence behaviors that identify four discrete behavior patterns, all of which share a constellation of common nondiscriminatory behaviors. The inherent behavioral themes of each of these patterns are explored with discussion of their broader implications for our understanding of serial arson and directions for future research.

Adult↗

Forensic psychiatry: female offenders.

The authors examined the records of 127 female and 1,068 male offenders referred by the courts to a forensic service over a 22-year-period. Female offenders were less likely than male offenders to be referred for psychiatric evaluations when they were charged with criminal behavior. They were more likely to be charged with homicide, arson, forgery, or fraud and more frequently received diagnoses of affective disorder and neurosis.

Affective Symptoms↗

Burns.

The authors present an extensive review of burn epidemiology. They review sources of burns, preventive tools, emergency behaviors to reduce severity, and rehabilitation. Ways are sketched in which the pediatrician can be an effective advocate against burn injuries.

Accidents, Home↗

Psychobiological concomitants of history of suicide attempts among violent offenders and impulsive fire setters.

Psychobiological data on 58 violent offenders and impulsive fire setters were analyzed for associations with history of suicide attempts. Subjects with a history of suicide attempts serious enough to require an admission to a medical facility had significantly lower mean cerebrospinal fluid 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol concentrations than subjects who had not made such attempts. A linear discriminant function analysis based on psychobiological and behavioral variables correctly classified 79% of the subjects according to the suicide attempt history positive and negative outcomes.

Adult↗

Alcohol outlets, gonorrhea, and the Los Angeles civil unrest: a longitudinal analysis.

This study tests the effect of neighborhood changes on gonorrhea rates. Prior studies that indicate gonorrhea rates are associated with alcohol outlet density and neighborhood deterioration have been cross-sectional and cannot establish causality. After the 1992 Civil Unrest in Los Angeles, 270 alcohol outlets surrendered their licenses due to arson and vandalism thus providing a natural experiment. We geocoded all reported gonorrhea cases from 1988 to 1996 in LA County, all annually licensed alcohol outlets, and all properties damaged as a result of the civil unrest. We ran individual growth models to examine the independent effects of changes in alcohol outlets and damaged buildings on gonorrhea. The individual growth model explained over 90% of the residual variance in census tract gonorrhea rates. After the civil unrest, a unit decrease in the number of alcohol outlets per mile of roadway was associated with 21 fewer gonorrhea cases per 100,000 (p<.01) in tracts affected by the Unrest compared to those not affected. Neighborhood alcohol outlets appear to be significantly associated with changes in gonorrhea rates. The findings suggest that efforts to control sexually transmitted diseases, including gonorrhea and HIV, should address contextual factors that facilitate high-risk behaviors and disease transmission.

Adolescent↗

Fire interest and antisociality as risk factors in the severity and persistence of juvenile firesetting.

OBJECTIVE: In the DSM-IV-TR, firesetting is included as a criterion for the diagnoses of conduct disorder and pyromania. The link between firesetting and antisocial behavior is well established in the empirical literature. Although theoretical models of firesetting often include fire interest as a putative risk factor, there is little research on the role of fire interest in firesetting or on the construct of pyromania. METHOD: The present study evaluated a sample of children and adolescents referred to an outpatient specialty program for juvenile firesetters with firesetting as the primary presenting problem. By assessing fire interest and antisocial behavior concurrently, the contribution of fire interest to firesetting after controlling for the role of conduct problems was evaluated. RESULTS: Results revealed that fire interest and antisocial behavior were significantly and positively correlated. Moreover, variations in fire interest added to the prediction of firesetting severity at assessment and firesetting recidivism at 18-month follow-up above and beyond what was predicted by antisociality alone. CONCLUSIONS: These findings have implications for an empirically derived taxonomy of pathological firesetting.

Adolescent↗

Fire-setting from the viewpoint of an arsonist.

1. Arsonists have more psychiatric symptoms, such as self-destructive behavior and alcohol dependency, than other criminal offenders. 2. Arsonists are found to have poor social competence with low social status and a high unemployment rate. 3. The act of arson could be like an attempted suicide, a cry for help.

Adolescent↗

Criminal defendants who desire punishment.

Some defendants desire to be punished. Sometimes psychotic motivations underlie punishment-seeking behavior; sometimes they do not. The defendant's clinical status is relevant to his competency to stand trial and to waive other rights. These issues are illustrated by presentation of a case of a defendant who sought punishment. The importance of psychiatric assessments of these defendants is emphasized.

Adult↗

Cerebrospinal fluid monoamine metabolite levels in male arsonists.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) monoamine metabolite levels were studied in 20 arsonists, 20 habitually violent offenders, and ten healthy inpatient volunteers. The arsonists and violent offenders had been in prison an average of six months before the study. Both the raw data and data adjusted by analysis of covariance for group differences in age, height, sex, and season of the lumbar puncture showed significantly lower concentrations of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in the arsonists than in the other groups. The finding remained the same when arsonists with violent suicide attempts were excluded from the analysis. Although CSF concentrations of MHPG or 5-HIAA did not correlate with the severity of repeated fire-setting behavior, low blood glucose nadir in the oral glucose tolerance test (a measure of the tendency toward hypoglycemia) did. These results support the hypothesis that poor impulse control in criminal offenders is associated with low levels of certain CSF monoamine metabolites and with a hypoglycemic tendency.

Adolescent↗