Are there studies to show that when humans eat humans it causes mental illness?

Answer 1

It doesn't cause mental illness, it's the result.

Answer 2

There have been instances where people eat their dead relatives brains which can transmit the prion responsible for the human equivalent of Mad Cow disease. This was a practice in New Guinea some time ago. It has now been stopped since the cause of the subsequent deaths was learned.

This is not exactly mental illness though.

Answer 3

Technically, yes.

There were studies done in Papua New Guinea amoungst a group of warriors who practiced cannibalism. Only the women and children appeared to be affected however. What had happened was the tribe was suffering what is commonly known as "mad cow disease". It is caused by a special protein (a "prion") which behaves like a virus if it enters brain tissue. The original victim was infected by eating the nervous tissue of a diseased animal. This individual was then killed and eaten. The men ate the best parts of the victim, meaning the muscles and organs such as the heart and liver. The less choice portions then went to women and children. These included the gut, brains and bones.

Answer 4

Probably not. You'd be hard pressed to find more than one off-hand and difficult to confirm study.

That behavior isn't as prevalent as it was so long ago. Also, when it was prevalent science wasn't prepared to do a proper study. Any evidence of a correlation would be almost entirely anecdotal and dismissed based on that alone.

Answer 5

eating human brains can give you a disease similiar to mad cow disease. kuru, i think it's called. i haven't heard of it being found outside of New Guinea, though.

Answer 6

no. but when you eat one, it actually benefits everyone.why? you decrease the population,and solve world hunger. actually there are more especially when do it.