Can animals get mental illnesses like schizophrenia/bipolar etc.?
Question:
I don't have an animal with a mental illness, I'm just really curious.
Answers:
I don't know about schizophrenia and bipolar, but I do know that I had a cat that had INCREDIBLE anxiety and was treated with Buspar to calm him down.
I have also seen my dog depressed when my other dog died. My living dog exhibited the same "symptoms" of human depression ~ lied around, did not want to play, did not eat.
So, yes, animals can experience mental illness.
VERY unlikely. Schizophrenia and Bipolar are specific mental health conditions that come from imbalances in the human brain. Both may have a connection to dopamine receptor sites and the central nervous system. I doubt that animals have seritonin and dopamine receptor sites in their central nervous systems.
S
Animals have psychological problems too. There are even animal psychiatrist now. I had a dog who was very neurotic. I loved her to death anyway. One problem with animals is they can't tell you their symptoms. For example, they can't tell you if they are hallucinating. A diagnosis is made solely on their behavior. I'm told a large percentage of animals suffer with depression.
I think they can get mental illnesses ( like retardation ) but so much as schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder; I don't think so.
duh. animals have emotions no different from us. they get depressed sometimes too. im sure a lot of animals are depressed especially those that are stuck in cages their whole lives. i would feel suicidal too if i was a hamster.
No, but some veterinarians say that animals can experience depression and anxiety. Some animals are even treated with Prozac.
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