Noah's syndrome is a behavioral disorder very similar to Diogenes syndrome that generally affects people suffering from other pathologies, such as It is the case of depression. This syndrome causes the person to obsessively and compulsively accumulate animals in their home, while neglecting the care and attention they require, as well as the own home hygiene.
Causes of Noah's syndrome and consequences for animals
According to the latest study carried out in Spain [1], hoarding is considered an "unreported problem" that affects not only the welfare of animals, but also that of people, whether we are talking about the accumulator itself, its relatives or neighbors.
We find very diverse profiles suffering from Noah's syndrome, but it generally occurs in socially isolated elderly men and women These people have a tendency to accumulate animals of the same species, particularly dogs and cats There may be different origins that cause this syndrome, such as manic depressive disorders, delusions, hallucinations and, in in most cases, an OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).
According to the study, the documented cases presented people who had been accumulating animals chronically for more than five years and the average number of animals in each case was around 50 animals. In most cases (75%) they presented poor animal welfare, wounds, parasitic diseases, infectious diseases and poor body condition. Most of the animals also presented behavioral problems, such as fear and aggressiveness, as a result of confinement and poor care.
The study concludes by stating that more studies are required to clarify the epidemiology, etiology and cultural differences of this he alth problem, which also affects public he alth and to people's well-being.
How to detect Noah's syndrome?
It is important learn to differentiate Noah's syndrome from people who, for their love of animals, excessively adopt animals abandoned. These people, for the most part, are not animal lovers, they accumulate them compulsively due to a disorder and do not maintain an emotional bond with these animals. For them, animals are like objects, for this reason, Noe syndrome could be compared to Diogenes syndrome.
These factors cause the accumulation of animals to become mistreatment, since the animals are usually very neglected. Generally these people tend to accumulate animals of the same species, but it can also be observed that they accumulate animals of different species.
Some symptoms of a person with Noah's syndrome are:
- Accumulates a large number of animals compulsively
- Does not allow other people to enter the home
- The home seems full, both of animals and objects
- You can easily see droppings and dirt on the floor
- Animals suffer from he alth and behavioral problems
- He does not care for the animals properly, there is a lack of water and food
- The person does not admit to having a problem
Is there a treatment for Noah's syndrome?
Generally, after a legal intervention in a case of Noah's Ark syndrome, the tendency is to remove the animals, without paying attention to the person suffering from the problem, who is quite likely to reoffend.
The intervention of a specialist is required, since psychological therapy and, in some cases, pharmacological treatment are essential to overcome the issue. These people are really sick, so animal abuse is a consequence of their pathology. It is very important that those who suffer from Noah's syndrome are treated by the corresponding psychological and/or psychiatric services since, if left untreated, the person will reoffend or take new actions that are equally inadvisable for their he alth and their environment.
