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Researchers found that many pets were seen as the most valuable and
central social support in owners’ lives, often providing secure
relationships not available through human ties.
“Although the value of therapy animals for mental health problems is
well documented, the nature of the role pets play in the everyday
management of serious mental illness is underexplored,” said lead
study author Helen Brooks of the University of Manchester.
“Pets are of significant value to those managing serious mental
illness and should be considered a mainstay rather than a marginal
source of support,” she told Reuters Health.
For instance, pets helped build stable and close relationships that
weren’t available elsewhere, especially for those who stay mostly at
home and have limited human contact, she said. Pets also provide a
consistent physical presence and often distract owners from symptoms
or upsetting experiences such as suicidal thoughts.
Brooks and colleagues conducted interviews with 54 people diagnosed
with long-term mental health problems, focusing on the day-to-day
experience of living with a mental illness. They asked questions
about the relationship, value and meaning of pets in the owners’
lives.
“I can trust him (my dog) more than people,” one participant said.
“When you’re like this, you lose a lot of trust in people, family as
well, because you tend not to tell them things because the less you
tell them, the less they can say.”
Another participant said, “(The cat) knows when to come on my lap
and when to leave me alone. I don’t have to tell him, he just senses
me, you know, he just senses my feelings.”
The study participants received a diagram with three concentric
circles around a square representing the pet owner. They were asked
to write in the names of people, places and things that gave them
support. Of the 54 participants, 25 considered their pets to be part
of their social network. About 60 percent placed pets in the closest
circle to them, and 20 percent placed them in the second circle.
“This is probably only the second time I’ve seen a study so
thoroughly look at where pets sit in the human-social system and how
important pets may be,” said Jenny Stephany of Positive Connections,
a Harrow, UK, nonprofit that connects people with companion animals.
Stephany, who wasn’t involved with the study, coordinates with
several community-based pet programs for those with mental illness.
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“The U.S. and Australia are way ahead of the UK in this area with
companion animals,” she told Reuters Health. “We’re seeing this
movement away from a reliance on pharmaceuticals and more toward
non-medical interventions.”
Several U.S. programs connect pets in need with humans in need.
Senior Pets for Senior People and Senior Dogs 4 Seniors, for
example, pair older animals with retirees who are housebound and
want companionship at home. The UK will be mirroring these programs
in 2017.
“I walk a dog for a woman who is 92, deaf and isolated, and the
importance of her Jack Russell is prevalent,” Stephany said. “The
simple ability of an animal to connect or provide a routine is very
powerful.”
Other programs in the U.S., such as Paws on Parole and Puppies for
Parole, pair rescue dogs with prisoners as a way to help the humans
rejoin the community and build responsibility. Many times,
establishing a reliable non-human relationship and boosting
self-esteem cuts down on repeat offenses, Stephany said.
“Sometimes we overlook the emotional needs that people have,” she
noted. “For some social and health problems, the solution may be
staring you in the face - or sitting on your lap.”
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