Mental Health Issue

Creating Schizophrenic Mice

These animals may help us find new treatments, but is it a good idea? 

Scientists at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) are genetically modifying
mice in order to make them mentally ill.  Dr. Jacqueline Crawley and her colleagues are
searching for an animal model for schizophrenia.  If they can create "schizophrenic mice"
then they can test promising new medications without risking the health of human
subjects. 

Most pharmaceuticals are initially tested on animals.  A candidate for a new

medication may look promising in the test tube, only to have dangerous or fatal side-effects
in animals.  In an ideal world, only chemicals that prove safe and effective in animals will be
tested in humans.  Since animals don't get schizophrenia, we can currently test whether a
new drug candidate is safe in animals, but we can't determine whether it is effective.  If
scientists succeed in creating schizophrenic mice, then new medications can be developed
more quickly in some cases.

Crawley's lab has already succeeded in creating anxious mice and depressed mice. 
They have had some initial success creating mice which demonstrate one symptom of
schizophrenia - the tendency to flinch even when they know that a loud noise is coming. 
Initial results suggest that antipsychotic medications that are used to treat schizophrenia
also help suppress this tendency to flinch in mice. 

Is it ethical to genetically engineer mice in order to give them a disorder that

resembles schizophrenia?  Most scientists believe that it is.  Animal research of this sort
saves human lives and helps us find new treatment for disabling mental disorders.  Animal
rights activists disagree with this position.  Organizations such as People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals (PETA) believe that all animal research is unethical. 

There is certainly room for disagreement here, but most countries allow - and even
support - such research.   Such research may pay huge dividends in the future, and I
believe that it is ethical to conduct it.  Reasonable people may disagree on this issue, of
course.
Reaction to the Issue

“In the sixth day, God made a man in his own image and said, Thy shall govern the

animals in all earth , the fowls in the air, and fishes that swim in all waters.”

God made the animals in pure hue and God Himself blessed us humans to domain

the fowls that climb the skies and the animals that walked beneath our surroundings. God

gave us the authority to govern the animals to what we rightfully want to. Our ancestors

live with touching harmony with their fellow creatures. They made them their best friend

and treating as beings that breathe same from the warm hands of the Creator.

Thousand years past and we abused the power Creator bestowed to us. And certainly

God does not favor the humility the lower species is suffering. But it is for our betterment,

eh? You may say. But to the extent that we humiliate a creation even we cannot mold with

our bare hands is unethical and unjust to satisfy our own wants and advancement.

And yes we have the domain to do to these animals but violence to these creatures

reflects our humanity. Does our mental acuity lack other options in order for these tests to

be applied? Why not apply those to yourself? And hear you scream the same pain the poor

animals is having? The same silence the innocent animals hides to their unconscious state?

In abusing these dominions we find ourselves craving for what humanity really is. Is

it treating other creatures with humility but strive with rapid advancement to the click turn

of time with absence of ethics and morality tells that humanity itself, is selfish enough to

end an animals’ life for a damn experiment?

Mariano Marcos State University

College of Health and Sciences

Batac, Ilocos Norte

Reaction Paper

(Legal Issues in Mental Health)

Levi G. Baptista

BSN III-F

Liezel Amor Mauro

Instructor