Animal psychopathology

Animal psychopathology is the study of mental or behavioral disorders in non-human animals.

Historically, there has been an anthropocentric tendency to emphasize the study of animal psychopathologies as models for human mental illnesses.[1] But animal psychopathologies can, from an evolutionary point of view, be more properly regarded as non-adaptive behaviors due to some sort of a cognitive disability, emotional impairment or distress. This article provides a non-exhaustive list of animal psychopathologies.

  1. ^ Owen, J. B., Treasure, J.L. & Collier, D.A. 2001. Animal Models- Disorders of Eating Behaviour and Body Composition. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Norwell; Massachusetts.