Therapy Animals: Enhancing Mental Health Through History - Essay Sample

Introduction

The use of therapy animals is increasingly becoming a common and crucial therapeutic technique which is currently being studied for its efficiency. Therapy animals range widely from domesticated animals such as cats, dogs, rats, and reptiles; however, the process of registering therapy animal is extensive and complex (Clark and Brianna n.d). Throughout history, several types of domesticated animals have been engaged in critical therapeutic roles. Arguably, animal-assisted is skillfully structured interaction between human beings and animals which has potential benefits to individuals of varying demographics including; children, adolescents, elderly as well as other groups of individuals with various psychological and physical obstacles (Wu and Huali 83-95). Animal facilitated therapy work for individuals of all ages whether sick or not. This essay, therefore, seeks to examine why therapy animals are a great form of therapy.

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Animal-facilitated therapy is a therapeutic intervention which tends to bring the emotional and physical needs of animals together to perform therapy. Animal facilitated therapy work for individuals of all ages whether sick or not Therapy animals have to prove to be a great form of therapy in several ways;

Therapy animals are used as great therapeutic intervention especially for people with psychiatric disabilities. According to several studies, animal-assisted therapy has been reported to have shown a lot of benefits for individuals diagnosed with mental illnesses particularly for inpatients in psychiatric settings (Adams and Trenton et al. 7). Animal facilitated therapy helps in aiding treatment process of individuals with psychiatric symptoms and disabilities by increasing their ability to become more relaxed and also by making their living environment more comfortable which might be otherwise threatening or anxiety provoking. According to (Adams and Trenton et al. 7), leveraging the power of animal therapy is an essential tool of treating various medical conditions and disorders especially those that are related to medical health. Notably, interactions with animals are considered as necessary therapy which offers a wide range of benefits to individuals who have Post-traumatic stress disorder and other complex psychiatric disorders (Akhtar, Salman, and Jodi Brown 3-38).

In most cases, the failure of depression treatment has been attributed to inaccurate diagnosis which has been blamed for the recurrent depression episodes (Goodwin, 2009). For instance in canine therapy dogs are the ideal animals for a canine-assisted therapy procedure. The system which facilitates healing and healthy living favor dogs because of their accommodative, cool and refreshing traits. Prior to being assigned to patients, therapy dogs are rigorously trained. Canine therapy has grown popular to therapy boarding facilities, nursing homes and special needs areas since its inception in the 1970s. It began as a clinical approach. Groups that have shown good results working with the method are adolescents, children, and grown-ups. Stress affects nearly all of the modern population daily. Some stressful issues include a balance of work and domestic obligations, bill accumulation, and compacted routines.

Using dogs for therapy was merely accidental. Workplaces are now packed with dogs, and they increase daily. Their benefits at the workplace aside, these dogs can pose a danger to the workplace. Safety, health and cultural orientation, therefore, should be considered. Dogs are now beyond domestic boundaries as people carry them to work for companionship, assistance, and emotional anchorage.

Besides, therapy animals have proven to provide psychological benefits. Animal therapy is very effective in reducing stress and anxiety by offering patients with emotional and psychological benefits. According to (Elliott and Sophia n.d), individuals suffering from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, stroke, and dementia have yielded a lot of benefits from animal-assisted therapies. According to various studies published, 10-15 minutes of pet therapy can generate optimal benefits to people who have interacted with animals. Moreover, therapy animals have been reported to reduce anxiety levels among patients significantly. Assisted animal therapy is known to enhance the mood swing of individuals by reducing stress particularly in a stressful environment such as hospital through creating a therapeutic and healing environment. According to (Crump, Chesika, and Terry n.d), patients who receive animal therapy are likely to have lower vital signs, less pain, and better mood. According to spending time with animal therapy enables the human body to react in a physical way that occurs as a result of human-animal interaction provided by assisted animal therapy.

Besides, animal therapy plays an essential role in treating depression. Animal therapy is believed to provide release of endorphins which have a significant positive impact among the patients dealing with depressive disorders. Animal-assisted therapy is considered to play an essential role in treating depression. Besides, therapy animal plays a critical role in providing physical benefits. Interaction with pets such as cats and dogs help in lowering blood pressure among the patients. According to (Gutermann and Jana et al. 77-93), animal-facilitated therapies cause physiological changes in the body which help in lowering blood pressure and heart rate.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the use of therapy animals is increasingly becoming a prevalent and crucial therapeutic technique which is currently being studied for its efficiency. Therapy animals have to prove to be a great form of therapy since it helps in aiding treatment process of individuals with psychiatric symptoms and disabilities, it provides psychological benefits, it aids in treating depression as well as in lowering blood pressure.

Works Cited

Clark, Brianna. Outcomes of Dog-Assisted Therapy for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Diss. 2018.

Wu, Huali, et al. "Simvastatin therapy in adolescent mice attenuates HFD-induced depression-like behavior by reducing hippocampal neuroinflammation." Journal of affective disorders 243 (2019): 83-95.

Adams, Trenton, et al. "The mental health benefits of having dogs on college campuses." Modern Psychological Studies22.2 (2017): 7.

Elliott, Sophia M. "The psychological benefits of animal-assisted therapy on elderly nursing home patients." (2015).

Crump, Chesika, and Terry L. Derting. "Effects of Pet Therapy on the Psychological and Physiological Stress Levels of First-Year Female Undergraduates." North American Journal of Psychology 17.3 (2015).

Gutermann, Jana, et al. "Psychological treatments for symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in children, adolescents, and young adults: a meta-analysis." Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review 19.2 (2016): 77-93.

Akhtar, Salman, and Jodi Brown. "Animals in psychiatric symptomatology." Mental Zoo. Routledge, 2018. 3-38.