By Jason Miller, Thomas Paine's Corner

At long last, the mental health community has identified, analyzed, and classified the illness that twists and perverts the psyches of billions of people, resulting in intense suffering and death for over 70 billion nonhuman animals each year. Look for it in the DSM-V, which is expected to be released in 2013.

And thankfully, there is a cure. It’s called veganism.

Anti-Animal Personality Disorder

Diagnostic Features:

Anti-Animal Personality Disorder is a condition characterized by persistent disregard for, and violation of, the rights of nonhuman animals that begins in infancy and usually continues into adulthood. Deceit, manipulation, and empathy deficiency are central features of this disorder. For this diagnosis to be given, the individual must be at least 18, the commonly accepted age at which individuals become fully responsible for their actions.

Diagnostic Criteria:

Only one of the following is required:

• Conformity to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that cause nonhuman animals to endure unnecessary suffering and agonizing deaths.
• Self-deceit, as indicated by repeatedly lying to oneself to convince oneself that it is morally acceptable to enslave, torture, and murder nonhuman animals.
• Reckless disregard for the pain and suffering of sentient beings
• Lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, abused, enslaved, tortured, or murdered nonhuman animals
• Grandiose sense of self worth, commonly referred to as anthropocentrism or speciesism
• Emotional poverty (limited range of feelings)
• Failure to accept direct responsibility or complicity in the enslavement, torture, and murder of nonhuman animals

Complications

Individuals with this disorder have a highly increased risk of dying prematurely of heart disease, hypertension, stroke, or cancer. Their lack of empathy towards nonhuman animals often diminishes or eliminates their capacity to empathize with humans, resulting in anti-social, narcissistic and violent social interactions and interpersonal relationships. In at least 20% of the population, sociopathic behaviors become the norm.

Comorbidity

Pedophilia, Antisocial personality disorder, Sexual Dysfunction, and Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Course

The course of this disorder is often chronic, but it can be reversed through a conscious effort to convert to veganism.

Prevalence

The prevalence of Anti-Animal Personality Disorder in the general population is about 95%, as the prevailing social, cultural, and legal paradigms enable and encourage animal abuse and exploitation to facilitate human pleasure and convenience.