Anxiety and related disorders: pyromania: practice question

A Psychiatry question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Psychiatry · Anxiety and related disorders: pyromania

Sample item

A 22-year-old man has deliberately set fires on several occasions. He is fascinated by fire and the fire brigade, feels tension before and pleasure during and after the fires, and does not gain money or take revenge. There are no psychotic symptoms. What is the most likely diagnosis?

APyromaniaBConduct disorderCSchizophreniaDAntisocial personality disorder

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

A. Pyromania

Pyromania is an impulse-control disorder of repeated deliberate fire setting with tension or arousal beforehand and fascination with fire and its context. Arson for gain, revenge, concealment of crime or in response to delusions is excluded.

Option by option

A. Pyromania (correct)
Correct. Fascination, tension and gratification without gain define pyromania.
B. Conduct disorder
Conduct disorder includes a broader range of rule violations, not fire-setting alone for gratification.
C. Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia would show psychotic symptoms driving the fire-setting, which are absent.
D. Antisocial personality disorder
Antisocial personality disorder involves pervasive disregard for others, which is not the picture here.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

Questions about this Psychiatry question

What is the answer to this Psychiatry question?

The best answer is A, Pyromania. Pyromania is an impulse-control disorder of repeated deliberate fire setting with tension or arousal beforehand and fascination with fire and its context.

Why is "Conduct disorder" not the answer?

Conduct disorder includes a broader range of rule violations, not fire-setting alone for gratification.

Why is "Schizophrenia" not the answer?

Schizophrenia would show psychotic symptoms driving the fire-setting, which are absent.

Why is "Antisocial personality disorder" not the answer?

Antisocial personality disorder involves pervasive disregard for others, which is not the picture here.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Anxiety and related disorders: pyromania in Psychiatry. Arson for gain, revenge, concealment of crime or in response to delusions is excluded.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Anxiety and related disorders: pyromania?

Learn each diagnosis by its core features and its first-line treatment. Then use the flashcards and the other Psychiatry questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.