Noah's syndrome: what is this disorder that consists of excessively accumulating animals?

If we know the Diogenes syndrome, which consists of accumulating objects, the Noah syndrome remains more nebulous. What is this disorder that leads to the accumulation of pets?

Noé syndrome is one of the obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCDs). It is also listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM5), which makes it a recognized psychological disorder. Its name is inspired by the Bible, since it refers to the character of Noah who installed in his ark a couple of each animal species.

A person with this syndrome will therefore pathologically and excessively accumulate pets. This accumulation is such that the patient no longer has the ability to take care of the animals properly. Abandoned, they therefore suffer from illness and can die from this lack of care.

HOW TO: Ship electronics with lithium ion batteries from Japan. http://t.co/SRhRTVCF

— 오뚜기처럼🎗 Wed Feb 13 08:15:10 +0000 2013

A savior syndrome

On average, a person with this syndrome accumulates 39 animals in his home. In September 2021, a woman who had it was hosting more than 50 cats in her house in Étaples (Pas-de-Calais). The patient lives in denial, he does not realize that he does not take care of these animals properly, even though some are dying. On the contrary, he thinks of coming to the rescue of these animals, which brings Noah's syndrome into the category of savior syndromes.

Women are the most affected, they represent 75% of people suffering from it and 45% of them are over 60 years old. In addition, 80% of people with Noé syndrome also have a more or less severe form of Diogenes syndrome. It is cats that are most often involved in these accumulations, they are present in 81% of cases against 55% for dogs, 17% for birds. Rarer but also more impressive, cattle are present in 6% of cases.

While this syndrome is dangerous for animals, which are more likely to fall ill or die, especially from starvation, there is also an impact on the life of the person with Noah's syndrome. She can also contract health problems, such as lung infections, or skin conditions for example. Financial problems are also present since the patients spend a lot to take care of these animals.