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HEALTH LIBRARY

How Animals Improve Mental Health

Scientific research supports what pet owners already know to be true; animals are good for our health. Aside from giving unconditional, judgment-free love, furry companions improve our lives in a myriad number of ways. At Carolina Dunes Behavioral Health in Leland, North Carolina, we recognize the value of animals in our patients’ lives.

Benefits of Animals

There are many benefits of having a pet. For example, furry friends improve the lives of humans through:

  • Offering companionship: Loneliness is a struggle that many people face. Pets can provide a much-needed sense of connection, not just with the animal you care for, but also with people you might encounter while walking your dog, shopping for your animal’s needs, etc.  
  • Improving our moods: Studies have found that making contact with your pet causes the brain to release oxytocin, a chemical that makes us feel happier. Some animals also sit or snuggle with their owners, when they sense their person is feeling down. Our brains also produce less cortisol (a stress hormone) when we are around animals.
  • Helping us make and follow routines: Pets give us a reason to push through, when we don’t want to exercise, go to the grocery store, or even get out of bed. Needing to walk your dog, buy pet food, or take your animal to the vet might force you to get up and move when you wouldn’t do it for yourself.
  • Improving our physical health: The exercise you get from walking your dog and the decreased cortisol you produce from spending time with your pets is good for your physical well-being, as it can result in a healthier weight, lower blood pressure, healthier bones, lower blood sugar, and stronger muscles.
  • Giving us a sense of purpose: Workers at suicide hotlines are trained to ask callers about pets because the connection people feel to their animals is sometimes enough to change their minds about ending their lives.

Working Animals

Not only can animals live in our homes and become our pets, but their ability to heal us often leads to their utilization in other areas that can help people. Animals can also be used as the following:

  • Service animals: Dogs often receive specialized training, to detect the onset of a person’s mental health episode. They sometimes help their owner remember medications, turn on lights, disrupt self-injurious behaviors, or perform other tasks that can help a person who is in psychiatric distress. Veterans who were provided with service dogs reported fewer PTSD symptoms, less depression and anxiety, improved life satisfaction, feeling less isolated, and improved psychological well-being.
  • Therapy animals: Dogs and other animals can also be trained and certified to visit hospitals, nursing homes, addiction treatment programs, schools, and libraries, to offer support to people who are experiencing medical issues, mental health struggles, behavioral problems, loneliness, or substance use disorders. The presence of these animals in such settings often helps people feel more at ease, reduces fear, fosters happiness and acceptance, and encourages the development of trust and openness.
  • Emotional support animals: These animals are not typically trained to perform special functions, so they do not have the same protections as service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Even so, dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, rodents, cows, goats, horses, and other creatures who provide comfort and mental health benefits to their owners are doing are important job, just by being present. For this reason, the Fair Housing Act allows tenants who live in pet-free dwellings to have pets with no additional fee, if the pet is prescribed by a licensed therapist or doctor.

More Ways to Engage With Animals

Not everyone has the time, space, or money to care for a pet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still interact with animals in some way. Animal shelters and sanctuaries often need volunteers. You might also have a loved one whose pets need care while they are traveling. Research has found that people who volunteer with animals for just a few hours per week or a couple of days per month experience:

  • Better mental health
  • Decreased work-life conflict
  • Lower risk for developing high blood pressure
  • Less likelihood of feeling rushed when they are busy

At Carolina Dunes Behavioral Health in Leland, North Carolina, we know that therapy and medications aren’t the only tools our patients can use to recover from mental health and substance use disorders. The love of a pet can be powerful medicine too. 

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