Emotional effects Rats can cause depression in humans

Rats have a similar emotional impact as the threat of physical violence
Many people do not like rats and find them nauseating or repulsive. But apparently, the mere presence of such animals is enough to trigger chronic feelings of sadness and anxiety in people. Scientists have found in a recent study that the pests can have a similar emotional impact on us as the threat of physical violence.

Rats have always been very unpopular animals. People fear these pests for various reasons. Researchers at the Bloomsberg School of Public Health's Johns Hopkins University have found in an investigation that rodents alone can cause chronic anxiety and depression for us humans. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Journal of Community Psychology".

Scientists found that the presence of rats in poorer residential areas can make residents more likely to develop depression. (Image: kichigin19 / fotolia.com)

Scientists examine subjects from poor neighborhoods
For the study, the researchers examined the data of over 448 residents of slums in Baltimore. The physicians recruited the subjects between March 2010 and December 2011. Half of the participants stated that they saw rats in their block of flats weekly. 35 percent of the subjects even reported seeing the pests daily, say the doctors. Thirteen percent of the study participants saw rats in their home and five percent said the rodents were seen in their home almost every day. 32 percent of respondents felt that rats are a sign of a bad neighborhood, experts add.

People with a "rat problem" are more likely to develop acute depressive symptoms
People who live in areas where there is a rat problem are, according to researchers, usually pessimistic about solving the rat problem itself. In addition, sufferers also have little confidence that neighbors or city employees are successful in the fight against rats, explains principal author. Danielle German from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. The researchers found that people who regard rats in their neighborhood as a serious problem were 72 percent more likely to develop acute depressive symptoms compared to residents living in the same area, but the rats were not considered serious Seeing the problem, explain the experts.

Pests drive old woman into suicide
Rats tend to look for living space in areas where they can live protected and have enough access to food. As a result, most of the pests live in disadvantaged and poor communities, where there is little hygiene and many buildings are free, the researchers say.

Rats are not the only unwanted guests that can devastate the mental health of homeowners or tenants. As early as 2013, the American Journal of Case Reports published the case study of a 62-year-old woman who committed suicide after discovering bed bugs in her home. The woman has previously had mental health problems, including bipolar disorder and suspected personality disorder, the experts explain. Apparently the pests of the woman had given the last rash to suicide. After waking up at 3 am she had discovered a bloodstain on her nightgown, after which she wrote a farewell letter and an e-mail to her friend. In this message, she explained that she can no longer live in fear of being eaten alive, the doctors say. The next morning she jumped from her 17th-floor balcony to her death.

Psychosocial effects of pest infestations need to be investigated more closely
The recent increase in parasitic diseases indicates that action should be taken rapidly to control and eradicate pest infestations, explain the physicians. In addition, those affected must also be supported and advised. The psychosocial effects of rat pest in urban areas need to be further explored to better understand the problem and find solutions, the researchers add. (As)