Animal cruelty usually falls under two categories: passive or active cruelty. Passive cruelty occurs when harm is inflicted through willful neglect creating prolonged suffering. This usually happens when owners fail to provide animals with basic necessities for survival, such as food, water and veterinary care (when needed). On the other hand, active cruelty involves deliberate physical harm or injury inflicted on an animal, creating immediate pain and suffering. While there are many reasons for people to abuse animals, many psychiatrists believe that most people who have the temptation or urge to harm animals (active cruelty) are suffering from psychiatric conditions.
Psychiatrists have found out that a history of animal cruelty was significantly associated with antisocial personality disorder (APD), antisocial personality traits, and polysubstance abuse. In a recent study, investigators tested the hypothesis that the temptation to harm an animal is associated with APD by looking for associations with other disorders commonly diagnosed in a population of criminal defendants. Among forty-eight subjects, criminal defendants who had histories of substantial animal cruelty were matched with defendants without this history. While it was proven that people diagnosed with APD are more tempted to abuse animals, mental retardation, psychotic disorders, and alcohol abuse showed no such association. Therefore, cruelty to animals is significantly associated with all assessed antisocial behaviors.
Animal abuse, regardless whether it is brought about by psychiatric disorders or not, have dire consequences and a negative impact on society. As warned by Anthropologist Margaret Mead, she said that one of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill or torture an animal and getting away with it. Why is this so? This is because people who abuse animals, especially since young age, are five times more likely to commit homicide and violent crimes against others.
