Ethological Studies in Animals and Man, Their Use in Psychiatry

Ethology is concerned with the observation, description and measurement of the acts and postures which make up the behavioural repertoire of animals. Man too, exhibits analogous patterns of non-verbal behaviour, many of which serve social interactions. It is shown how ethological profiles of psychiatric patients can be constructed using the same methods as are used to analyse the social behaviour of rodents. It is argued that deficits in social behaviour are a key feature of the mentally ill patient and arise when flight, i. e. escape-oriented behaviour predominates. This notion is supported by an ethological study which shows that compared to healthy subjects, depressed patients exhibit fewer facial expressions and gestures which instigate or invite social interactions. These patterns serve to isolate the depressive patients from the group. With its emphasis upon objective analysis of behaviour, the ethological approach can provide a useful adjunct to conventional but largely subjective, clinical assessment schemes. It can also help to integrate findings in man and animals since in both, the behaviour is assessed in the same kind of units according to a common conceptual framework.