Animal Therapy Essay

Animal-assisted therapy has become a widely common therapy treatment for individuals with mental illnesses. The definition set for animal-assisted therapy by The American Veterinary Medical Association is “a goal-directed intervention in which an animal meeting specific criteria is an integral part of the treatment process. It is designed to promote improvement in human physical, social, emotional, or cognitive function” (Rosseti et al., 2010, p.45). The process of animal-assisted therapy varies based on the requirements of the individuals. Animals can directly help individuals with mental illnesses without them having to be patients at a psychiatric hospital. Simply being around animals or owning a pet can be beneficial.
A study performed by The American Journal of Occupational Therapy reported on the percentage of individuals with serious mental illnesses and whether they owned a pet, the reasons for owning the pet, and the relationship between the individual and their pet and how engaged they were in meaningful activities (Zimolag & Krupa., 2009, p. 126). “The first purpose of the study was to answer three questions:
• What proportions of mental health clients are pet owners and non-pet owners?
• What are the clinical and
sociodemographic characteristics of pet owners and non-pet owners?
• What are the motivations for owning or not owning a pet, and what are the number and type of pets lived with and desired?
The second purpose was to determine if individuals with serious mental illnesses are more likely to engage in more meaningful activities and demonstrate better physical, social, and psychological community integration” (Zimolag & Krupa., 2009, p. 128). By the end of this study, multiple things were determined. The main reason for not owning a pet was simply the cost of maintenance. Whereas people with pets said their main reason for owning one was the companionship (Zimolag & Krupa., 2009, p. 133). As Levinson discovered from his study, speaking to animals is often more comfortable for psychiatric patients. Pet owners were more likely to engage in meaningful activities and social community integration. The same thing happening with the child in the previous study is happening to individuals in the community. Animals create a comforting barrier between the individuals and the outside world. Although this is not a direct use of animal-assisted therapy it shows the benefits an animal can have on an individual with mental illness. Bringing people out of their shell and enhancing their communication skills gives individuals a better chance at a normal life. Individuals who are withdrawn and have difficulty communicating gain from an individual session involving a dog for multiple reasons.
In a study performed by Levinson is 1969 he discovered the benefits his dog had on a withdrawn child. His dog acted as a bridge between the therapist and the child. Dogs are easier to talk to than another human to individuals who find it hard to communicate so the therapist can gain information from the patient sharing with the dog and the patient gains comfort from being able to share their problems. Being around a dog can also simply lighten the mood. “Man’s best friend”, as dogs are called, promote happiness and laughter which can be healthy for psychiatric patients (Rosseti et al., 2010,
p.46). A newer form of therapy focuses on soldiers either currently serving, or suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). If the individual is currently serving the dogs is trained to provide comfort from combat stress. Being in an environment where danger is a constant fear can impact an induvial both emotionally and psychologically. Combat and Operational Stress Control (COSC) focuses on minimizing the stress caused to the individual in combat and prevent PTSD (Smith et al., 2014, p.279). However, if the individual comes home with lasting effect from their time in a combat environment the Warrior Canine Connection provides animal-assisted therapy (Yount et al., 2013, p.293). A plan implemented by occupational therapists involved placing therapy dogs in units in Iraq and Afghanistan. The dogs were trained to provide a pleasurable experience to individuals while deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. These dogs provide comfort to soldiers after a traumatic experience and provide an unbiased individual to talk to. “In May 2009, a U.S. Army Soldier opened fire at a COSC Clinic in Baghdad, resulting in the death of five fellow SMs, including two health care providers” (Smith et al., 2014, p.283). Upon returning to occupational therapists were given permission by the soldiers to bring the dog, even though they asked to be left alone. The soldiers had developed a relationship with the occupational therapists and their k-9 counterpart. The therapy dog provided comfort to the soldiers who still were not comfortable talking directly to the human therapist. Not all soldiers are lucky enough to come home without any psychological impact from their time at war. The role of therapy dogs is extended to the soldiers who come home with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The warrior canine connection, a nonprofit organization, allows soldiers with PTSD to train service dogs for other veterans who also suffer from PTSD (Yount, et al., p.293). The training provides work therapy for the soldiers so they have a positive force to focus on, and the trained dogs can be used to other veterans who are going through other therapies that can benefit from an animal therapist. The warrior canine connection used the training of service dogs to study how oxytocin affects the rehabilitation of veterans experiencing PTSD (Yount, et al., p.292). Oxytocin is a hormone naturally produced by humans that is known to decrease the symptoms of PTSD including; anxiety, including fear response and hyperarousal; interpersonal difficulties/social isolation; physical pain; and sleep disturbances. Oxytocin was shown to increase when humans interact with dogs and the training services benefited the soldier’s mental health (Yount, et al., p.295). Animal-assisted therapy has grown in popularity and study results are telling us why. Simply owning a dog can increase an individual’s social interaction and psychological well-being (Zimolag & Krupa., 2009, p. 130-133). Bring a dog into a session with a withdrawn patient can allow the therapist to learn information they gain from human therapists (Rosseti et al., 2010, p.46). They can prevent permanent psychological damage to soldiers at war (Smith et al., 2014, p.283), and be a treatment for the unlucky soldiers who do come home with psychological damage (Yount, et al., p.295).