Pets and Psychiatry

Another recent study examined the effect of pets on people who were psychologically disadvantaged – withdrawn, obsessively self-centred and uncommunicative. Dogs were provided in kennels within the grounds of a psychiatric hospital and patients were introduced to them. The patients began to respond to the presence of the animals very quickly by visiting them, feeding them, grooming them and exercising them. A human-animal bond was soon established and the responsibility that this relationship imposed on the patient helped him or her to develop self-confidence towards other people and a more positive attitude towards life. The common bond of pet ownership also drew different patients together and helped them to relate in a normal way. Patients who were especially energetic and hyperactive were able to channel their energies towards a more constructive end by choosing the most athletic dogs and exercising them in the grounds.

One of the many important points to emerge from this study is the necessity of matching person to pet, ideally by allowing them to select a pet that complemented their personality. But the main conclusion to be drawn is that for many people the need to love and be loved can be effectively fulfilled by the simple and natural therapy of creating a bond with a pet. Animals, for their part, are far less critical of humans than humans are of each other, so the unconditional love that a pet offers can be surprisingly helpful in fairly extreme psychological cases.