Cat lady suicide more likely caused by the T Gondii Parasite which comes from cat litter, study says.

A woman is called a “cat lady” if she had failed in all attempts to acquire human companions filling the void of loneliness by having a lot of cats as pets. The psychological condition result to suicide in some cases.

However, the idea of a “crazy cat lady” to increased risked of suicide is now being blamed to a parasite called “T Gondii,” researchers say.

The crazy cat lady suicide study was done in Denmark where 45,000 women participated. Researchers discovered that women who are infected with Toxoplasma gondii or the “T. Gondii” parasite are at a higher risk of suicide that those who are clean.

The T Gondii is found in cat poop and undercooked meat and unwashed vegetables. The definitive host of said parasite is the cat, but the parasite can be also carried by many warm-blooded animals like birds or mammals, including humans. Toxoplasmosis, the disease of which T. gondii is the causative agent, is usually minor and self-limiting but can have serious or even fatal effects on a fetus whose mother first contracts the disease during pregnancy or on an immunocompromised human or cat.

Studies have also shown behavioral changes in humans, including lower reaction times and a sixfold increased risk of traffic accidents among infected, RhD-negative males, as well as links to schizophrenia including hallucinations and reckless behavior. Recent epidemiologic studies by Stanley Medical Research Institute and Johns Hopkins University Medical Center indicate that infectious agents may contribute to some cases of schizophrenia. A study of 191 young women in 1999 reported higher intelligence and lower guilt proneness in Toxoplasma-positive subjects.

The prevalence of human infection by Toxoplasma varies greatly between countries. Factors that influence infection rates include diet (prevalence is possibly higher where there is a preference for less-cooked meat) and proximity to cats

Even more worryingly, the higher the levels of T. gondii in a participant’s system, the more risk of a suicide by violent means (such as leaping from a high building, cutting or stabbing oneself with sharp implements or shooting) increased as well.

Because of the study, the T. gondii is now described in the cat lady suicide study as a “major public health problem,” being linked with mental illness, schizophrenia and major behavioral changes. Among those generally infected, the risk of suicide was about one and a half times higher, but again, this risk increased among those who had more severe infections.