Keeping a cat and having a mental illness
After 44 years of research in 11 countries around the world, researchers have found a link between keeping cats and suffering from schizophrenia-related disorders. In fact, the main idea of this research, that owning a cat can be related to the risk of schizophrenia, was proposed in a study in 1995, and exposure to a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii was also stated as the cause. But research so far has provided different results.
According to Khabar Online, studies have shown that being around cats in childhood may make a person more susceptible to schizophrenia, or it has even been said that severe schizophrenia disorders that affect people's thoughts, feelings, and behavior can lead to the experience of psychosis. For them, it is caused by being around cats for a long time; Of course, not all researches had such a result.
On the other hand, Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a harmless parasite that can be transmitted through undercooked meat or contaminated water. Cat bites or infected cat feces can also transmit Toxoplasma gondii. According to statistics, it is estimated that about 40 million people in the United States may be infected with this parasite, which usually has no symptoms. Of course, researchers are looking for more dangerous effects that infections may have.
When Toxoplasma gondii enters our body, it can penetrate the central nervous system and affect neurotransmitters. This parasite is associated with personality changes, emergence of psychotic symptoms and some neurological disorders including schizophrenia. However, it has not been proven exactly that Toxoplasma gondii caused these changes or that the parasite was transmitted from cats to humans.
17 studies have now proven a significant positive association between cat ownership and an increased risk of schizophrenia-related disorders. After adjusting for covariates, we found that people who live with cats are twice as likely to develop schizophrenia as people who live with cats, the researchers say. Of course, it is worth mentioning that 15 of these 17 studies are objective and cannot prove exact cause and effect; Because things that may affect the result cannot be identified in this type of research.
Although the findings were inconsistent among studies and the researchers themselves did not ignore this issue, higher quality results suggest that this association may be due to factors that could influence the results. Although one study found no significant association between having a cat before the age of 13 and later developing schizophrenia, it did find a significant association when it restricted cat ownership to a specific period (ages 9 to 12). This discrepancy suggests that the critical time frame for cat exposure is not clearly defined.
Another US study involving 354 psychology students found no association between cat ownership and schizotypy scores. Another study, which included people with and without mental disorders, found an association between cat bites and higher rates of certain psychological disorders, noting that other pathogens such as Pasteurella maltocida may be responsible for such disorders.
The researchers agree that better and more extensive research is needed before we can make any firm interpretations. However, these studies somehow confirm the connection between cat ownership and schizophrenia-related disorders.
