Cat Ownership Linked to Increased Risk of Schizophrenia, Research Suggests

https://www.sciencealert.com/owning-a-cat-could-double-your-risk-of-schizophrenia-research-suggests

by amichail • 7 months ago

23 16 7 months ago

sciencealert.com

PaulHoule• 7 months ago

Cat-positive schizotype here!

ViktorRay• 7 months ago

Friendly reminder that correlation does not imply causation.

antonvs2• 7 months ago

Sure, but it can point to potential causation. Toxoplasma gondii infection is the obvious candidate here.

DANmode2• 7 months ago

& Bartonella.

Qem• 7 months ago

I think a more obvious candidate is self-selection. People with known mental issues that want a pet are wise to choose those that demand less maintenance. It's hard to go walk the dog while undergoing a mental breakdown. Cats, on the other hand, don't require people to walk them, and are mostly self-cleaning. They are a safer pick for people whose routines are subject to sporadic disruption.

gnabgib• 7 months ago

Recent discussion (18 points, 1 month ago, 14 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45946707

MilnerRoute• 7 months ago

From that discussion...

"Unless your cat lived a significant part of it's life as an outdoor cat, it is very unlikely to have the parasite (like any parasite). Most cat to human transmission (again, minority of total transmissions) comes from stray cats infecting gardens with their feces."

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45947121

Fricken• 7 months ago

Or maybe Schizophrenia is linked to increased risk of cat ownership

DANmode2• 7 months ago

or maybe we, as a group, underestimate the impacts of chronic infection on the body and brain.

Otherwise “simple infections” are (likely, almost obviously) responsible for tons, including dementia, Parkinson’s, more,

and they’re the ones everyone ignores,

or struggle to even get a diagnosis for,

and instead say “it’s normal to not be able to squat once, or have any energy when you’re ‘getting older’!”.

These infections can drive…completely life-changing medical trajectories - without the patient ever noticing.

Everyone just thinks they won the “reverse—lottery” when cancer or dementia finally shows up…I’m becoming less convinced it’s a “chance” thing at all.

We just don’t see, nor monitor the beginnings - and if we do happen upon them, hey, “everybody has Staph, EBV, [insert bacteria or virus here] - nothing to be worried by! Very common!”

paidsearchguy• 7 months ago

Nothing conveyed here, move along

wkat4242• 7 months ago

I love my cats crazy much so yeah I guess it's true lol

antonvs2• 7 months ago

The Cat Lady Council wishes to object

grigri907• 7 months ago

My dentist informed my me adult tooth root resorption (the same process through which baby teeth fall out) is correlated with cat ownership during early childhood.

glaslong• 7 months ago

Hmm even if it were causal it would be worth it. It's not a stretch to say my cats once saved me from worse.

mrlonglong• 7 months ago

Did cat haters write this steaming pile of cat turds?

casey2• 7 months ago

Of course living with a predator will increase your paranoia levels which will over a population bump people up to certain disorders. /s

Cat Ownership Linked to Increased Risk of Schizophrenia, Research Suggests

Related Stories