Background: Clinical zoanthropy is a rare illusion in which a person thinks of himself as an animal. Conclusion: Due to the possible simultaneous onset of zoanthropy and changes in coenthesis, i.e. the sensation of physical existence, psychiatrists should look for cases of clinical zoanthropy in clinical practice and avoid treating them in the same way as other delusions. All cases that occur should undergo additional somatic examinations – including EEG and neuroimaging – and treatment should be adjusted based on the results. When a person believes they have turned into an animal, they suffer from a disorder called zoanthropy. You might worry that your sister has zoanthropy if she only talks in meows — but she`s probably pretending to be a cat. Another term for zoanthropy is “clinical lycanthropy.” Whatever you call it, it is an extremely rare mental illness in which a person sincerely believes that they are about to become an animal, or that they already are. Zoonthropia is unusual but very serious and usually appears with psychosis when someone loses all contact with reality. The word comes from the Greek roots zoion, “animal”, and anthråpos, “man”. Results: Only 56 cases of clinical zoanthropy could be found in the international scientific literature. Given that specific studies in the past have revealed a relatively high number of cases, it can be concluded that the disorder is likely to be more common than suggested in the literature.
These cases can be not only primary types based on mental or unclear causes, but also secondary types mediated by deviant somatosensory sensations. Treatment of the underlying condition (in most cases, a psychotic or mood disorder) has proven increasingly effective over time. “Zoanthropy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zoanthropy. Retrieved 8 October 2022. Objective: To assess the clinical and scientific relevance of this conventional diagnostic category. Sharing tea under the depths of the water with a newly resurrected and hungry Cthulu would be much tastier than spending 5 minutes in a ballroom and mindlessly listening to the zoanthrope Palin-Blab. zō-an′thrō-pi, n. a form of mental deception in which a person thinks he is an animal – the god pious Simon Browne (1680-1732) devoted himself to creating a dictionary under this belief – “I do nothing,” he says, “it takes a rational soul: I make a dictionary.” — adj. Zōanthrop′ic. [Gr. Zōon, an animal, Anthrōpos, a man.] You must – there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you`re looking for one that is only included in the full Merriam-Webster dictionary.
The illusion that you have taken the form of an animal Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America`s largest dictionary with: Method: Classical and scientific literature were searched as well as PubMed, Embase, and Ovid. A kind of illusion in which the patient believes he feels transformed into one of the inferior animals.
