# Why is poop smearing a sign of mental disturbance? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 10, 2009, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-poop-smearing-a-sign-of-mental-disturbance/520688 "2009-12-10T03:33:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-poop-smearing-a-sign-of-mental-disturbance/520688/21 "2009-12-11T03:12:17Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Where’d you work? the Kinsey Institute? Message board administrator. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-poop-smearing-a-sign-of-mental-disturbance/520688/22 "2009-12-11T03:17:31Z")
> [@Kozmik](#): > > According to _Training Day_, yes. 😃 😃 Hey now that you mention it, Extra Chunky Jiff sounds like it would hit the spot right about now. If only I could find some jelly… :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![CraigBrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f9b8f/32.png) [@CraigBrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CraigBrown)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2017, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-poop-smearing-a-sign-of-mental-disturbance/520688/23 "2017-11-13T16:57:59Z")
I realize that this site is neither providing the “straight dope” or, a medical resource so, let me enlighten you all on this subject. In and by itself, smearing poop is not a sign of a mental disturbance. Coprophilia as it is defined, is for one, a sexual fetish. It is also common in cases of autism. Generally it is an act of defiance against authority such as in penal institutions and boarding schools. It is the least violent form of protesting authority and because it is considered vile and unpleasant, those who are the target or subject of this act will give in and retreat. In a small percentage of cases, coprophilia can be a direct act of a mental disorder with various treatments. I want to stress that in the modern day form of pornography via the internet, coprophilia is more commonly known as a sexual behavior or fetish because of the sexual attraction and pleasure some experience from the act of defecation. This type of coprophilia was engaged in by Julius Caesar and in the time of The Marquis DeSade in France. Throughout history, the famous and infamous have had personal links with smearing of feces. From Adolph Hitler to Elvis Presley. I have had two relationships with females who were very vocal about wanting to bring coprophilia into our sexual repertoire. I was open to it and found it very erotic. It also required a lot of research and before and after care. I offer this information as a educational source to counter the inaccurate conclusion that such behavior is solely a sign of mental disease or sickness. For anyone who may disagree with my post, the internet is a vast source of knowledge and information of which I would tell the person who posed the question, you would be well advised in the future to avail yourself to the internet for advice, information and, the straight dope. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2017, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-poop-smearing-a-sign-of-mental-disturbance/520688/24 "2017-11-13T17:57:30Z")
Gotta watch out for those poop-smearing zombies. They’ll get you every time. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2017, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-poop-smearing-a-sign-of-mental-disturbance/520688/25 "2017-11-13T18:00:56Z")
> [@CraigBrown](#): > > Throughout history, the famous and infamous have had personal links with smearing of feces. From Adolph Hitler to Elvis Presley. cite? ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2017, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-poop-smearing-a-sign-of-mental-disturbance/520688/26 "2017-11-13T18:02:05Z")
No shit. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2017, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-poop-smearing-a-sign-of-mental-disturbance/520688/27 "2017-11-13T18:07:40Z")
> [@CraigBrown](#): > > I have had two relationships with females who were very vocal about wanting to bring coprophilia into our sexual repertoire. I was open to it and found it very erotic. Thank you, Mr. **Brown**. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2017, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-poop-smearing-a-sign-of-mental-disturbance/520688/28 "2017-11-13T18:13:10Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Thank you, Mr. **Brown**. Indeed so. An excellent user name / post combo. 😃 And, now we know what Brown can do for you. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2017, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-poop-smearing-a-sign-of-mental-disturbance/520688/29 "2017-11-13T18:17:17Z")
Craig “Brown”, huh. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2017, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-poop-smearing-a-sign-of-mental-disturbance/520688/30 "2017-11-13T18:18:37Z")
> [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](#): > > I used to work with a guy who was, for awhile, a super intendant of a building in a crazy part of town. Once in awhile, he’d catch a homeless person sleeping in a nook hidden under the stairs of the buliding’s basement and he’d have to kick them out of the building. Only once did he call an ambulance because it was a teenager who was wearing garbage bags… full of his own feces. > > Most animals are hardwired with the “don’t shit where you eat” program. As **Ponch** said, it has to do with disease aversion . There is a cool, interactive quiz on the BBC website on the [Psychology of Disgust](http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/disgust/index.shtml). Bottom line: the things that trigger our “Yuck!” response are the things that we tend to relate to disease. While it may be a learned thing, it goes way beyond what is “socially acceptable” and more into primitive “don’t touch, it might kill you” territory. > > If you suddenly embrace poo, it can be a sign that some of your key learned survival habits have been compromised. > > ETA: As for the kid in the story above. When the ambulance and police arrived, they found the kid was essentially feral. My former co-worker was of the opinion that since most of the higher-up mammals do not sleep in their own shit, so the kid’s mind was probably toast. (There was a lot of drug use in the area where he was a super, so it was not unusual for there to be genuinely brain damaged people in the neighborhood). I realize this is an 8-year-old post, but that kid sounds like the poster child for inhalant-induced brain damage. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2017, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-poop-smearing-a-sign-of-mental-disturbance/520688/31 "2017-11-13T18:37:15Z")
Friend with AIR B&B had a guest smear poop on everything. Literally everything. Every plate, spoon, towel, picture frame, door knob, etc. It wasn’t total coverage, just one swipe. Just sharing. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2017, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-poop-smearing-a-sign-of-mental-disturbance/520688/32 "2017-11-13T19:56:32Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > Just sharing. So were they. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2017, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-poop-smearing-a-sign-of-mental-disturbance/520688/33 "2017-11-13T22:52:06Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > Friend with AIR B&B had a guest smear poop on everything. Literally everything. Every plate, spoon, towel, picture frame, door knob, etc. It wasn’t total coverage, just one swipe. > > Just sharing. :eek: Any idea why? That’s just nasty. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2017, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-poop-smearing-a-sign-of-mental-disturbance/520688/34 "2017-11-13T23:31:29Z")
Did somebody just white knight (brown knight?) poop play? ---
**Author:** ![molten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ec9cab/32.png) [@molten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/molten)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-poop-smearing-a-sign-of-mental-disturbance/520688/35 "2017-11-14T01:09:02Z")
The reason shit smearing/eating is a sign for mental illness is fairly straightforward: it is the case when a person goes against their own good. It is a bad sign for the same reason that burning money or hacking off your limbs or suicide are all bad signs in general. This is the literal meaning of schizophrenia - split mind, when your own mind goes against you. I don’t think it is as much the disregard to authority or norms that matters here. Is a shit smearing painter who makes money off it going to classified as mentally ill? maybe, maybe not, the case is not clear. There are very few situations where you can benefit from this activity. When I heard about Mars One I kind of assumed the people who would apply would have mental health issues, just based on the idea of going against your own comfort and the lack of any reasonable reward and the whole questionable organization. And having seen some videos I don’t think I was wrong too. In this way, Mars One has something in common with shit smearing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-poop-smearing-a-sign-of-mental-disturbance/520688.md?page=1)