What is Pyromania?
Pyromaniacs are individuals who enjoy setting fires and derive pleasure from it. The disorder begins in childhood; these children may display truancy, running away from home and delinquency. They may enjoy watching fires in their neighborhoods, setting off false alarms and collecting firefighting paraphernalia. They obtain gratification or a release during the act of fire setting and they show no remorse for life or property damage; the destruction actually satisfies them! These individuals may be drunk, experiencing sexual dysfunctions, have below-average IQs, suffer from personal frustration and may be bitter toward authority figures; some of them even become sexually aroused by setting fires!
What is Kleptomania?
Kleptomaniacs are individuals who have a recurrent impulse to steal objects that are not needed for personal use or monetary value; they often steal from retail stores or from family members. It’s a chronic illness beginning in adolescence and continuing into adulthood. The stealing is not due to anger or revenge and is not associated with delusions or hallucinations. They may also suffer from mood disorders, anxiety disorders and eating disorders. Oftentimes, they either return the objects or give them away.
What is Internet Compulsion?
Also known as internet addiction, these individuals spend most of their day on a computer surfing the web. They have repetitive and constant strong urges to spend time on the internet shopping, watching porn or playing games; they are unable to resist their urges.
What is Trichotillomania?
This is a chronic disorder that occurs more commonly in women, characterized by a repetitive compulsion of pulling hair out; it may even involve the eyebrows! Sometimes they chew or swallow their hair, resulting in a potential complication known as a trichobezoar – a hairball that becomes stuck in the intestines.
What is Mobile Phone Compulsion?
These individuals have a repetitive compulsion to use their cell phones to call friends, acquaintances or family members. They usually come up with reasons to justify calling others, but it is believed that these individuals suffer from a fear of being alone, are dependent on others or are undoing a hostile wish toward a loved one, “I just wanted to make sure that everything is okay with you today.”
As you can see, many people suffer from compulsions that manifest into a mental illness. That is why we need to come together and help each other understand our stories, so we can more effectively help one another deal with the emotions and pain that result in our suffering; this is one of the goals of The DSM Ready Movement.
Are you Ready? (This is Defeating Stigma Mindfully)
DSM (Defeating Stigma Mindfully) 