Anyone who owns a pet knows how it can help us weather rough times. This may be even more so for those with serious mental illness. A United Kingdom study found that some people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder say pets help them manage their condition more than anything else. The study was published December 9 in the journal BMC Psychiatry.
Source: NPR Shots, December 9, 2016.
The pets provided more than just emotional support and companionship, participants said. The animals also could distract them from their illness, even from severe psychosis.
INSIGHTS: The importance of pets in our lives and their positive impact is the subject of many studies and routinely present in media these days. We’ll include articles like this one from time to time to remind us that we support more than just an individual animal’s health.