Primates, Orcas, Dolphins, other animals show mutation in genes linked to schizophrenia, autism, other mental disorders

[Rhubot]

Continuing the discussion from Some Animals Can Suffer From Mental Illness, Too:

@Rhubot

@Stefan

SzAdmin -Some Animals Can Suffer From Mental Illness, Too.

Me - Maybe but not sz

It’s funny, if you read the story, it links to a BBC article that says:

That said, it is one thing to suggest that animals like dogs or even bees might suffer from emotional disorders like depression or anxiety. Other mental illnesses like schizophrenia seem to affect more complex forms of thought, so we might expect them to be exclusive to humans. But that may not be the case.

In a 2014 study, Vallender and his colleague Lisa Ogawa studied genes thought to be associated with schizophrenia and autism in 45 mammalian species.

If these genes had changed more in humans than in other species, it would imply that the disorders were exclusively human.

But that was not the case. The genes had changed in humans, but also in Old World monkeys, apes, and even distantly-related mammals like dolphins. So far it’s not clear what this actually means for these animals’ mental health, says Vallender. “All we know at this point is that the proteins seem to be changing.”

BBC Earth | Environment, Climate Change, AI, Food, Health, Social, & Technology

Study referenced is here:

http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00283/abstract

As a follow-on to the article @SzAdmin linked, an article and a study dealing explicity with the possibility of other animals being prone to schizophrenia.

[Stefan]

Scientists like these are in my opinion to preoccupied with their obsession to find “defective genes”! We all have them, each and every one of us, with or whithout “sz”. Without" defective genes", natural selection etc humanity would be unable to adapt. Their obsession has a negative impact on stigma…

The mental state I am in when I am of track may very well originate in the capacity for language. (You may read what I have written in lingforum.com Post subject: Speech perception and some symptoms of schizophrenia)

[pansdisease]

I could have told you this if you had asked me.

Animals have me “symptoms” all of the time actually, no joke. Probably some animal out there right now seeing “things”.

If i can see so can they.

[anon72351231]

My cat sometimes looks at places or gets mad at something that isn’t there.

[pansdisease]

One can see a schizophrenic dog in the paranormal activity films.

Yeah.

[Rhubot]

I know, whenever I see another study saying, Scientists discover that dogs get jealous and monkeys get sad! it just gets a giant eyeroll from me. I want to say, “Are you this stupid on purpose?” but I think the answer to that is yes. I feel like this constant insistence that only humans feel things is just an excuse for us not to worry about how badly we treat other animals.

[Rhubot]

My cat spent months afraid of walls. I had to feed her and put her litter box in the center of the room. She is tormented by things that I can’t see. One day she is loving and confident, the next she is certain we all are trying to hurt her. The insistence that only humans experience these things is ludicrous.

[llwantingll]

Funny thing is, I feel like a dolphin or monkey a lot of the time. I like pretending to be animals. It eases the stress. In fact they should teach animal familiarity, or pretending to be animals, in CBT.