Woman with rare delusion of being an animal

Researchers from University of Leuven found zoanthropy, forces people to think they are an animal

LEUVEN (Web Desk) – A 54-year-old Belgium woman was briefly convinced she was a chicken, followed by a generalized seizure for 24 hours. Researchers from the University of Leuven found that zoanthropy, forces people to think they are an animal. The 54-year-old affected woman had visited the emergency department in a condition of sweating, shaking, blowing her cheeks out and attempting to crow. After suffering a seizure, the woman’s memory returned and she remembered little of the episode, but felt embarrassed, the researchers said. The researchers linked zoanthropy to underlying disorders such as schizophrenia, psychotic depression and bipolar mood disorder. “This delusion can occur with an underlying psychiatric disorder, but it can also be secondary to structural or functional disorders of the brain,” they wrote.