Pet Mental Health

I talked to both my psychologist, Doctor Samantha Jordan, and my psychiatrist, Doctor Sandra Kovachi, and they both believe having a service dog would be helpful for my needs.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that depression will be the second highest cause of medical cause of disability by the year 2030, second only to AIDS/HIV. Depression comes in many different forms and shapes affecting around 350 million people worldwide, roughly 7% of the world population and despite the available treatment options many do not have accessibility to said options. This paper is meant to discuss an overview of depression and emotional support animals, a relatively more affordable and accessible form of assistance as well as being psychologically and physiologically beneficial to those with depression.

Emotional support animals can take on a multitude of jobs that “may include reminding the handler to take medicine, providing safety checks or room searches, or turning on lights for persons with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, interrupting self-mutilation by persons with dissociative identity disorders, and keeping disoriented individuals from danger,” (Brennan). These animals are often considered pets but are actually so much more than that, emotional support animals have a very important role in protecting the mental health of their owners and keep them safe. Not only do these animals protect people’s mental health but they also give people a purpose. Taking care of one of these dogs or other animals gives people something to take care of and focus on. Knowing that there is another living thing that relies on them can be very grounding and keep people connected to something outside of themselves.

Nepps, & Bruckno, (2014) and Souter & Miller,(2007) results were determined by pre/ post questionnaires and scales that viewed each participant mood before and after each session to see the outcome and effectiveness. It showed a dramatic increase in mood. It was also shown that that therapeutic alliance is enhanced with the addition of a therapy dog within a group setting with adult clients in a residential drug abuse treatment setting. Animal assisted therapy has also been shown to reduce feelings of anger and symptoms of PTSD, which can contribute to an overall improvement of mood and reduce depressive

Dogs can help us humans with mental health. Many service dogs are used to help people who are deaf or people that are blind. How about people with mental issues? Dogs not only help us with physical problems but also with mental problems like depression. In the article “Therapy pets and humans with mental health issues” the author “ dog time” starts to state in the 3 paragraph “Trained animals [iii] are used to benefit patients suffering with emotional and behavioral disorders, depression, autism, substance abuse, and dementia.” (2010) This can show how animals can help us with mental issues because animals can understand many struggles us humans have, because after their trained they can not only understand us but also

The effects of pet ownership have been shown to be beneficial for humans as well as animals in need of a home. People purchase pets for a variety of reasons, spanning from a need to get more exercise, a desire for companionship, to a desire for unconditional love. Other people simply just love animals and their lives feel complete without a furry friend. However, not all of the causes of pet ownership are positive. Some people purchase a pet because they think the animal looks cute but abandon the pet after they discover the hard work it requires to train it and keep it healthy. Other people do so out of ego, such as purchasing a large, vicious pet they hope will intimidate others and later find they cannot control. The motivational causes of owning a pet will determine the eventual effects of ownership.

Dogs; cute, lovable, and a great addition to families for many reasons. The first reason is that dogs help to maintain good mental health. “Pets offer an unconditional love that can be very helpful to people with depression.” said Ian Cook, a psychiatrist and director of the Depression Research and Clinical Program at UCLA. There are many different types of dogs that help with mental health such as therapy dogs, and many different type of service dogs. Another example is that the US Centers for Disease Control Research by a study, which tracked 643 children aged

Owning and caring for pets is an extremely normal thing for people throughout the world. The love that millions of communities have for animals is huge and it brings a multitude of people together because of their common bond. Many studies have indicated that owning a pet can better the owner’s health, and even lengthen his/her life. Pets can be incredibly helpful for a variety of reasons making people agree that pets bring more enjoyment than dissatisfaction. Owning pets has become a very popular trend for a number of reasons, such as service, protection, and companionship.

Household pets are a very good distraction when someone has anxiety. The reason why is because “pets have long been touted as being beneficial to their owners’ health and well-being” (Torres 2). When you are a pet owner, taking care of your pet distracts you. The owner has to walk, feed, and love the animal just as much as you would a human. Pets are also very comforting, so they never feel alone. Most people with anxiety tend to feel alone and useless, but when they have an animal or pet by them at all times, they never are alone. Children with parents in the military tend to get anxiety as well, so pets help them cope. “The high prevalence of animals in U.S. households and the impact that human-interaction can have on mental health and well-being suggests that pets may be an important family strength that could be a key element in

For many there is a sense of pride around your pet, and it is pointed out in Helen Brooks in her study. She points out that pet’s support a lifestyle approach to managing mental health. That may improve the well-being of the owners, and improve the owner’s mental health. (Brooks 10) this seems to be the case with Kathryn Oda.

Hark, Danielle. “12 Ways Your Pet Can Improve Your Mental Health!”The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14 May 2013, www.huffingtonpost.com/danielle-hark/pet-ownership-health_b_3187960.html. Accessed 24 Apr. 2017.

Our hypothesis is that pet owners will have a higher overall well-being than those who do not own a pet. We will be identifying factors from everyday life that may increase or decrease with the ownership of a pet such as: gender, health, happiness, social anxiety, exercise, relating to others, security, psychological well-being, and self-esteem. This study was done in a classroom setting with a survey we designed that was handed out before class. We had eighty two participants from several undergraduate classes. The findings showed that male participants with pets had higher ratings in relating well to others, confidence, and their overall well-being.

The well-known saying, “A dog is man’s best friend” implies that there is a common belief that pet ownership improves our overall well-being (Peacock, Hansen, & Winefield, 2012). However, Chur-Hansen and Winefield’s 2005 study resulted in contradictory findings that show there is no direct relationship between companion animals and increased well-being (as cited in Peacock et al., 2012). Garrity, Stallones, Marx, & Johnson’s 1989 study concluded that companion animals positively affect an individual 's mental health by decreasing feelings of loneliness and depression, Kidd and Kidd’s 1999 findings show lowered levels of stress in pet owners, and finally, Wells suggests that companion animals increase self-worth and self-esteem (as cited in Peacock et al., 2012). The following study analyzes the impact companion animals has on a college student’s well-being. Taking into account that suicide and depression are increasingly prevalent on college campuses nationwide (Furr, Westefeld, McConnell, & Jenkins, 2001), researching the dynamics of the animal-human bond and whether or not it can improve the psychological and physical health of stressed college students is important. Previous research on the relationship between companion animals and well-being has resulted in varying and conflicting conclusions. The following studies demonstrate this problem and explain the possible causes for inconsistent results. As Peacock states, a reason for inconsistent results among

Firstly, dogs help with a humans individual health. As Healthy pets , “8 Ways Dogs Help People” , says owning a dog can help with peoples mental stability when they have PTSD , acute anxiety disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, OCD , and etcetera. They can help to remind their human to take medication, wake up on time for school or work, and cope with emotional overload. They also provide a buffer in crowds by creating a physical boundary, and help to extinguish flashbacks by bringing their owner back to the here and now. They also contribute to certain therapy tactics because they are gentle

     Why such beneficial effects? “Ironically, the most common reason people give for not having pets-having to care for them-is one of the reasons pets improve health. Pets require that you ‘extend’ yourself when you normally wouldn’t, and for people who are ill or just want better health, pets turn them into ‘care