Building an Inner Sanctuary: Complex PTSD in Chimpanzees

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Through the analysis of case studies of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) in residence at a sanctuary, who previously sustained prolonged captivity and biomedical experimentation, we illustrate how human psychological models of diagnosis and treatment might be approached in great apes. This study reflects growing attention to ethical, scientific, and practical problems associated with psychological well-being of animals. The analysis concludes that a diagnosis of Complex PTSD in chimpanzees is consistent with descriptions of trauma-induced symptoms as described by the DSM-IV and human trauma research. We discuss how these findings relate to diagnosis and treatment of chimpanzees in captivity and the issue of their continued laboratory use. This clinical study contributes toward theory and therapeutic practices of an emergent trans-species psychology inclusive of both humans and other species. Such an ability to extend what we know G. A. Bradshaw

Rehabilitation and Socialization of Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) Used for Entertainment and as Pets: An 8-Year Study at Fundació Mona

“…Prolonged captivity, sensory deprivation, and use in laboratories have been shown to contribute to behavioral pathologies in nonhuman primates (Anderson 2010;Bellanca and Crockett 2002;Bradshaw et al 2008;Kalcher et al 2008;Llorente and Campi 2014;Novak 2003;Rodríguez-Rodríguez et al 2010), including abnormal behaviors such as floating limb (Bentson et al 2010), self-biting (Reinhardt and Rossell 2001), self-injury (Wielebnowski et al 2002), self-clasping (Buttelmann et al 2008), pacing (Rybiski Tarou et al 2005), rocking (Lopresti-Goodman et al 2012), object attachment (Janson 2012), coprophagy (Nash et al 1999), and regurgitation-reingestion (Baker and Easley 1996). Poor conditions early in life may also affect personality (Martin 2005) and the development of mental disorders later in life (Brüne et al 2004;Ferdowsian et al 2011Ferdowsian et al , 2012Troisi, 2005).…”

Long-Term Evaluation of Abnormal Behavior in Adult Ex-laboratory Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) Following Re-socialization

“…, as behavioral manifestations of psychological disorders, due to the social and psychobiological continuity between humans and great apes [22]. The susceptibility of primates and great apes in particular to psychological disorders, such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorders, was shown recently [23,24,25,26]. …”

The beginning of the end for chimpanzee experiments?

“…Although these highly sentient creatures are in no way responsible for any human grievance, such as the serious diseases we attempt to induce in them, we sometimes subject chimpanzees to conditions that would cause widespread social outrage if used to punish the most heinous of human criminals – for years on end, and in some cases, for decades. Bradshaw and colleagues [102] observed that: "The costs of laboratory-caused trauma are immeasurable in their life-long psychological impact on, and consequent suffering of, chimpanzees." As stated, humans are not usually punished until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.…”