The interplay between emotional and physical health Flashcards
Give an example of a disease which demonstrates the link between physical and emotional health.
(The disease occurs due to the animal experiencing stress in its environment)
FIC - feline idiopathic cystitis
ALD - acral lick dermatitis
If you’ve taken a chronological history looking at behavioural and physical changes but still can’t determine the origin of the behavioural change, what further investigations can be carried out?
- Neurological exam
- Haematology
- Biochemical
- Urinalysis
- Diagnostic imaging
What are the four possible categorisations of links between physical disease and behavioural changes?
- Developmental
- Intermediate
- Learned
- Emotional
How can physical influence in the first few weeks of life affect an animals behaviour?
- Isolation from adequate socialisation and habituation
- ## Negative associations with certain forms of handling due to medication and nursing intervention
Explain how inappropriate learning in early life may lead to physical disease
- Essential for successful development of stress control mechanisms (HPA axis)
- predispose individuals to physical disease later in life
Describe an immediate link between injury or physical disease and behavioural change
Cases where underlying physical disease is directly responsible for the behavioural change - the behavioural change is a symptom of the physical condition
Give some examples of obvious links between current disease and behavioural change
o Acute pain and “aggressive” defensive behaviour – the dog or cat that hisses and scratches when its fractured limb is manipulated
o House soiling as a result of polydipsia and polyuria from a medical cause – the diabetic that is obviously drinking excessively
Give some examples of subtle links between current disease and behavioural change
- Onset of anxiety as a result of endocrine imbalance e.g. hyperthyroid cat, Cushings, etc
- Relationship between hypertension and behavioural change
- Gastrointestinal function effect on neurotransmitter availability – dysbiosis effects on serotonin
Give some examples of non-aggressive responses to pain
o Chronic pain leading to limitations of mobility may result in issues of indoor toileting
o It can also lead to anxiety related behaviours, avoidance strategies, decrease in play and social interaction
Describe the learned association between physical disease and behavioural change.
Onset of “aggressive” responses to stimuli, such as people or dogs, which have been linked with pain through association
With time, a process of generalisation may lead to expression of ‘aggressive’ behaviours in decreasingly obvious contexts
Describe the emotional association between physical disease and behavioural change.
Any emotional disorder resulting in physiological stress can be a predisposing factor for physical disease
Likewise, any physical disease that leads to irritation/debilitation is a risk factor for alteration in emotional state/arousal
Outward manifestation of behavioural change is dependent on which 3 factors?
- threshold of response to stimulus
- salience of stimulus
- emotional state of individual (emotional arousal)
What presentations of physical disease indicate the potential of an emotional component?
- Recurrent physical illness
- Diseases associated with breakdown of mucosal integrity (e.g. FIC, IBD)
- Infectious diseases (e.g. FIP, flu)
- Pain-related conditions (increased perception of pain in an anxious state)
- Dermatological conditions (stress-related grooming / repetitive licking)
What is the pattern of stress-related grooming?
Repetitive/extreme grooming of normal areas
=> bilateral alopecia
What is the pattern of repetitive licking?
Unlike stress-related grooming, repetitive licking is focused on the same spot (also suspect pain)
What effect can physiological stress have on physical disease?
Pre-disposing factor for physical disease
Can prevent treatment working effectively
How do cats with feline idiopathic cystitis present?
- Overweight, sedentary
- Alopecia on ventral abdomen & medial HL (due to over-grooming in response to pain)
- Increased display of displacement behaviours
- Straining to urinate / house-soiling
How can the environment effect the emotional state and also influence physical disease in an animal?
- When environments do not cater for species specific behavioural needs this leads to negative emotion
- Human misperceptions may lead to presentation of water in ways that make it unattractive to the cat
- Restricted water intake can be a factor in renal disease
- Multi-cat households
The potential for an underlying physical health issue being the reason for the behavioural change should not be ignored, especially in what circumstances?
Behavioural signs are sudden in onset
Signs show an unexpected form of progression
Poor response to conventionally accepted forms of behavioural modification
The potential for an underlying emotional health issue being the reason for the physical health change should not be ignored, especially in what circumstances?
Physical disease is recurrent
Patient shows concurrent alterations in behavioural responses
Poor response to conventionally accepted forms of medical therapy
