THE FRANKLIN The Science Magazine of Notting Hill & Ealing High School ◆ Spring 2021 types of foods they eat with a number also compulsively exercising. Similarly, Anorexia athletica (sports anorexia) or hyper gymnasia, is characterised by an obsession with exercise to lose weight or prevent oneself from gaining weight. Individuals will exercise in extreme conditions for excessively long hours to the point it becomes a compulsive obligation without enjoyment or benefits.
How and why do animals experience similar mental illnesses to humans? By Nirupama Krishnakumaran, 9T
Disordered eating is also apparent in rats. When given free access to food and an exercise wheel, they develop a balanced routine between exercise and food intake. They also seem to suffer no significant change when given unrestricted food access and restricted wheel access or restricted access to both food and exercise, in which case they will adjust to the circumstances. However, rats begin to suffer when their food intake is restricted and their wheel access is not. At this time, they start to exercise more and eat less, resulting in extreme weight loss and eventually death. A study published in 2003 by Johannes Hebebrand suggests the running impedes the adjustment to the feeding schedule. Moreover, the semi-starvation effect has also been studied in primates with results revealing that Rhesus macaque males become hyperactive as a response to long-term chronic food restriction. In this case, active anorexia could be avoided by training rats to adjust to the feeding schedule and giving them unlimited access to a running wheel.
The topic of mental health and the variety of illnesses we can get have recently been spotlighted in many social media platforms and news outlets. The idea of humankind not being alone in our suffering is something that has been talked about greatly. But does this idea only apply to humans? The short answer is no; animals can suffer from mental disorders as well. With this being said, can animals become our saviours in the complex area of psychopathology? Animal psychopathology is the study of mental or behavioural disorders in animals. Multiple mental disorders apparent in animals are also prevalent in humans which can be split into two categories: eating and behavioural disorders. Eating disorders, in most cases, seem to have spared wild animals. However, the same cannot be said for domestic animals.
Thin sow syndrome is another eating disorder that is present in stalled sows (in farming this refers to sows that are kept in stalls in order to fatten them) and is similar to activity anorexia. After early pregnancy some sows become overly active, eating less and wasting away, often resulting in death. During this period, they suffer from emaciation (extreme thinness and weakness), hypothermia, a depraved appetite, restlessness and hyperactivity. It is thought that the cause of the syndrome is mainly social and environmental stress. Stress in this
Activity anorexia is a disorder specifically affecting rats. It occurs when they exercise excessively while simultaneously lowering their food intake. The condition is similar to human conditions like anorexia nervosa or hyper gymnasia. According to the National Eating Disorders Association “anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterised by weight loss; difficulties maintaining an appropriate body weight for height, age, and stature; and, in many individuals, distorted body image”. People with anorexia generally restrict the number of calories and
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