Can Your Pet Cure Depression?

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Despite growing research that using animals for the treatment of mental disorders is highly beneficial to the patient, therapy animals do not have the same rights as traditional assistance dogs. Why has it taken so long for Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) to become an accepted form of mental health care? And how exactly does it work? London Unlocked gets the whole story.

One in every ten people may suffer from depression or a depressive disorder throughout his or her life, according to the NHS. In order to help those people we have seen an array of unconventional treatments emerge, particularly in recent years. These range from puppet therapy to alternative substances like ketamine and marijuana, and even hypnotism, through which you relive any painful experiences. Compared to these, bringing animals into a therapy session seems far less extreme.

However, it is easy to wonder how simply being in the company of an animal can help to treat psychological diseases. Dale Preece-Kelly owns Critterish Allsorts, who run Critter Assisted Therapy, in which all therapy sessions include a variety of creatures. He often gives speeches across the capital about the benefits of incorporating animals into sessions.

“The initial effects of bringing an animal into a session are a change in attitude and behaviour, in terms of a calming effect and a happier demeanour,” he says. According to Diane Hardiman of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy, this is due to a lowering of the stress hormone cortisol as well as an increase in oxytocin and other happiness-elating hormones.

Angela Buxton is one therapist who uses her own dog Jasper in her sessions with patients who have a variety of mental health issues. “I think there are clear therapeutic benefits of having him in the room with us,” she explains. “It is a choice for all of my patients whether they want him there, but most of them seem much calmer and willing to talk when he is present.”

Like all other pets serving in Animal Assisted Therapy roles, Jasper has been professionally assessed so that he is safe to work with. There are currently no UK charities that specifically train therapy animals, but it is very possible to train your own pet to perform these roles, provided that they have the right temperament and health.

Preece-Kelly elaborates on why patients seem to find it easier being with an animal: “The animal is not judgmental, it doesn’t care about who you are, what you’ve done, or why. It doesn’t even care whether you talk.” This means that even just being in the company of such animals is enough for a patient to feel better. When the animals are then brought into each therapy session, the patient feels at ease to open up in a way they may not find comfortable with just another person.

This pattern is not only seen in mental health clinics. Deborah Wells, senior lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast, has written for the British Psychological Society (BPS) to explain these emotional advantages, particularly for the elderly and prisoners. Although these groups are clearly very different, both find visiting animals serve as a massive help to fight feelings of loneliness and other psychological issues.

The BPS has elaborated on the effects animals may have on certain groups of people. Among those living with disabilities, whether mental or physical, many experience loneliness and therefore develop depressive tendencies, due to social inhibitions. The presence of assistance dogs creates a more approachable atmosphere, while studies have shown that the chances of strangers starting a conversation with you are vastly higher if you have a dog with you.

Deborah Wells explains: “This in turn gives the patient confidence and higher self-worth, which will help them combat negative thoughts.” And these impacts are clear in some of those UK patients living with an assistance dog.

Bernard Halstow has first-hand experience with the mental aid his mobility assistance dog provides. He has been in a wheelchair for the past six years, following a spinal chord injury that caused paraplegia when he was 42. After witnessing interactions between Bernard and Marlo the Labrador, it quickly becomes clear that the relationship that builds between an assistance dog and their handler is very special. Not only does Marlo make everyday tasks much easier, he also provides a sense of comfort and support when there is no one else for Bernard.

“I’m never alone and there’s always someone to talk to.” He smiles and pats his companion. “I think a lot of people with disabilities find it very difficult adapting to a new lifestyle, but knowing that you’ve got that extra bit of support means the world.” Marlo has a whole host of responsibilities including picking up things, pressing lights or road-crossing buttons, and even loading the washing machine. Although these jobs are important, Bernard believes there is much more to it. “He can just sense when I might not be feeling too good, and he will always stay extra close. Small things like that have really made the biggest difference to my state of mind since I got Marlo,” Bernard explains.

Dr. Deborah Custance, senior lecturer in Psychology at Goldsmiths College, has conducted extensive research into the relationship between humans and canines. She believes that the reason some animals - dogs in particular - have this effect on humans is actually more to do with them than us. She says: “Throughout my research I discovered that dogs are incredibly in-tune with our emotions.”

In an experiment conducted in 2010, dogs were put in various positions with or without their owners; the patterns showed that dogs are very in-tune with people’s emotions. They tended to approach a stranger more often when that person was visibly in emotional distress, whether or not their owner was present, showing a care for more than just for the humans they are usually around. This response was characterised as a display of empathy not usually associated with the cognitive ability of most animals. Dogs, however, may be considered a special case, especially considering that the dog-human relationship predates history.

It is nothing new for people with certain disabilities to have a little help from our furry friends. Assistance dogs are seen widely throughout the UK, for example alongside the blind, deaf or otherwise physically or mentally disabled. According to the Society for Companion Animal Studies, these dogs do not only provide assistance with daily tasks, which furthers their independency and self-worth, but also offer emotional support simply by being around.

To this day, therapy animals cannot be registered in the same way these assistance dogs are, and therefore do not have any of the rights that come with this status. Many who work in Animal Assisted Therapy find it remarkable that these rights are not readily available to those suffering from mental health disorders as they are to the physically disabled.

Rather than the NHS spending £285 million on antidepressants every year, those willing could find solace with their own therapy pet. Dale Preece-Kelly is hoping to see this in the future: “I would like to see the GP initially prescribe a course of 8-10 sessions of AAT, instead of the drugs. I would like to see an AAT practitioner in each GP surgery and every psychiatric hospital.”

So, with all these benefits of AAT, why is it not more practiced in society? The research into the benefits of pet-assisted therapy is very limited at this stage. In London specifically, very few hospitals and clinics have actually attempted to utilise animals in the aid of mental wellbeing, and the few that have, do not use it in the specific treatment of depression.

London Unlocked has learned through Freedom of Information requests that of all the NHS Trusts that operate in London, only five have brought animals into their facilities, mostly to heighten morale among long-term patients. All of these were done on voluntary basis and therefore did not cost the trusts any money. According to information provided by Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, the few dogs they have brought in over the past 12 years have served successfully in providing distraction and affection for the children of Evelina London Children’s Hospital.

These children are seen to have a better mental wellbeing following visits, but the patients with depression are not specifically referred to see a therapy dog. The Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust has used Animal Assisted Therapy to aid the recovery of mental health patients since mid 2016 and has incurred no cost to their trust thanks to volunteer work.

With no extra expenses to the NHS for the introduction of Animal Assisted Therapy, and with research and some genuine use of the therapy method proving the benefits it could provide for patients suffering from depression, it becomes evident that AAT could serve as a valuable alternative to the current treatments.

Even if there isn’t enough quantitative evidence available currently, the only way of creating more is to allow the work of people like Dale Preece-Kelly and other providers of pet therapy to flourish, so that more depression sufferers can be exposed to the opportunity of trying this innovative solution to the UK’s growing mental health problem.

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[Fact Box: The history of Animal Assisted Therapy]

According to a historical account of AAT progress by James A. Serpell, the first clinical examples of animals in the treatment of the mentally ill was led by William Tuke at The Retreat in York, and didn’t happen until the late 18th century. Despite this, it is believed that the power of animals was well known throughout many pre-modernisation civilisations. Since then, many practising therapists and scientists have used the method in attempts to see development in mental wellbeing in those suffering from depressive disorders.

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