Pets in therapy sessions may help schizophrenics

New research suggests that taking dogs into therapy sessions with schizophrenics may help patients feel more motivated and less apathetic.
 
Schizophrenia is closely linked with anhedonia, an inability to experience pleasure from that which would normally be enjoyable. Anhedonia is resistant to treatment and has been linked to wider social problems.

Scientists at Israel’s Technion Institute of Technology studied two groups of ten schizophrenia patients. One group followed a ten week course of animal-assisted therapy, while the other group received a ten week course of therapy that did not involve animals.

The group who received pet therapy showed a significant improvement compared to the other group, using their leisure time more effectively and becoming more motivated.

Dr Inbar Nathans-Barel, speaking for the researchers, told the BBC that “[animal-assisted therapy] may contribute to the psychosocial rehabilitation and quality of life of chronic schizophrenia patients."

Julie Bedford, animal behaviour specialist at The Blue Cross said: “The use of animals in therapy for those with psychological problems is fine if the animals are appropriately assessed for their stress levels and are temperamentally suited to it. It is just a pity that humans cannot be as supportive and nonjudgmental as the animals, if they were perhaps we would no longer need to use animals in such an intense setting.” 

The study is published in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.