Mental Health Research, Pets / 15.01.2025

Pets and Mental Health   Since the day that early dogs first worked out that they might be able to snag a bone or two and maybe even a spot by the fire if they hung around early man’s caves, warding off predators and scavengers (although this is hard to believe, when you look at some of the handbag dogs of today - chihuahuas), we as humans have had a special relationship with the domesticable animal. These days the title of “man’s best friend” is contested firmly between increasingly diverse strands of nature’s great tapestry - although according to the American Veterinary Medical Association, dogs remain the most commonplace pet in American households - the role that pets in general can play as a bulwark for your mental health is becoming increasingly clear, as this study by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) suggests.

“Overwhelming Positive Mental Health Impact”

As anyone with a psychiatry or mental health counseling masters online degree knows, mental health can be affected by many different factors, and the ways we look after our mental health can differ greatly from person to person. In a recent survey by the APA entitled the “Healthy Minds Monthly Poll,” psychiatrists found that the vast majority of pet owners considered their four-legged (or otherwise) friends a massive boon to their well-being; among cat and dog owners, for example, the proportion of those polled who agreed with this sentiment was 86-87%.  (more…)