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Abby Gamble

Higuera

Gamble

Gan

NIH

Wells

How Can Dogs Help With Depression And Anxiety?

“Pet ownership and its influence on mental health in older adults” Genieve Zhe Hui Gan et al. (2019)

Key ideas

Overview

• Pet ownership is a key to wellbeing in older adults. Pets provide a physical presence in the house, they offer physical touch and can guard the house lessening anxiety.
• Having a pet gave the older adults a sense of purpose in life and motivation to get out of bed and stick to a daily routine.
• Pet ownership makes the pet owner more social and decreases loneliness. Owning a pet helps the owner get out of the house to walk their dog which in return can help them make connections with people along the way. Making social connections with other humans can help relieve a common depression symptom being loneliness.
• Owning a pet gives pet owners a feeling of comfort and safety which would improve their moods.
• Pets provide a sense of companionship and decreased loneliness. Most owners referred to their pets as a part of the family.

In the academic journal, Mental Health and Aging, researchers Genieve Zhe Gan et al. published their research titled “Pet ownership and its influence on mental health in older adults.” They interviewed pet owners 65 years and older to determine whether or not pet ownership increases positive mental health incomes. They found positive results for elderly people including comfort and safety, social inclusion, purposeful routine and a meaningful role.

Role in conversation

This article contributes to my exploration of the research question by describing multiple positive effects of owning a dog for older adults. As a person ages, illness are more present im their life such as mental health illnesses. Some of the benefits that the participants showed by owning a dog were decreased loneliness and increased sense of purpose. Both of these have shown to decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression.

“Everything You Need to Know About Depression (Major Depressive Disorder)"Valencia Higuera (2023)

Key ideas

Overview

In a medically reviewed article titled “Everything You Need to Know About Depression (Major Depressive Disorder) written by Valencia Higurea, a iwriter for healthline, explains symptoms and causes of depression, as well as its correlation to anxiety and other mental health conditions.

• Because depression and anxiety normally occur concurrently, a treatment that works for one of them will most likely alleviate symptoms of other mental health conditions.
• Depression can be characterized as loss of interest in most activities, fatigue and low energy, feelings of loneliness and hopelessness.
• Techniques that can help relieve feelings of depression include exercising regularly, building relationships with others and maintaining treatments.
• Depression can be caused by many different factors in a person's life. Some of these factors include family history, hormone levels and brain chemistry.
• There are a variety of treatments that may alleviate depression and anxiety including medications, therapy or more holistic approaches such as mindfulness.

Role in conversation

I learned that depression can be caused by multiple factors in a lifetime and there isn’t just one thing that can cause it. I also learned that traditional medicine and therapy don’t work for everyone, so a lot of people rely on alternative treatments and therapies. This article helped contribute to my exploration of my research question by giving me an overview of what depression is, the various causes and the current treatments that we know of.

“Everything You Need to Know About Depression (Major Depressive Disorder)"Valencia Higuera (2023)

Key ideas

Overview

In a medically reviewed article titled “Everything You Need to Know About Depression (Major Depressive Disorder) written by Valencia Higurea, a iwriter for healthline, explains symptoms and causes of depression, as well as its correlation to anxiety and other mental health conditions.

• Because depression and anxiety normally occur concurrently, a treatment that works for one of them will most likely alleviate symptoms of other mental health conditions.
• Depression can be characterized as loss of interest in most activities, fatigue and low energy, feelings of loneliness and hopelessness.
• Techniques that can help relieve feelings of depression include exercising regularly, building relationships with others and maintaining treatments.
• Depression can be caused by many different factors in a person's life. Some of these factors include family history, hormone levels and brain chemistry.
• There are a variety of treatments that may alleviate depression and anxiety including medications, therapy or more holistic approaches such as mindfulness.

Role in conversation

I learned that depression can be caused by multiple factors in a lifetime and there isn’t just one thing that can cause it. I also learned that traditional medicine and therapy don’t work for everyone, so a lot of people rely on alternative treatments and therapies. This article helped contribute to my exploration of my research question by giving me an overview of what depression is, the various causes and the current treatments that we know of.

“Interview with Elyce Gamble” Abby Gamble (2024)

Key Ideas

Overview

• Being able to do little things for the dogs such as taking them out to the bathroom, taking them on walks and filling up their food bowl provided a sense of purpose for day to day life.
• Completing small tasks for dogs gave her confidence to slowly start doing other things again.
• Dogs love their owners unconditionally and are loyal to them, no matter the circumstances.
• Dogs provide a comforting presence in the house and can make you feel less lonely which is a common symptom for depression.
• Dogs help encourage exercise by motivating the owners to go on walks or play with them.
• Dogs can help provide a sense of connection through physical interaction such as petting them, cuddling them or playing with them, which reduces feelings of isolation.

I conducted an interview with my sister, Elyce, who has experienced an array of mental health struggles such as anxiety, depression and depersonalization. She talks about how living with dogs during this time in her life gave her a sense of purpose and companionship and ultimately helped her significantly in her treatment for depression and anxiety.

Role in Conversation

I learned that dogs can be beneficial for not only older adults but also for other ages. This source gives us an upfront and personal view of the personal benefits of having a pet while dealing with mental health problems. Benefits include feeling less lonely, enjoying a loyal companion and a motivation to physically take care of yourself and complete small tasks.

"The Affects of Animals on Human health and Well-Being" Deborah Wells (2009)

Key Ideas

• The act of petting or stroking an animal has been shown to decrease blood pressure along with decreasing heart rate.
• While expressing anxiety inducing activities, being around the presence of an animal can reduce heart rate as well as decrease blood pressure.
• “...pets may hold long term therapeutic benefits, preventing us from becoming ill, and even facilitating recovery from serious physical ailments.”
• Animals allow for more social interactions. While walking your pet, you are more likely to run into a stranger and have a conversation than if you were walking alone.
• “Elderly people with pets have also been shown to have fewer symptoms of depression than those without pets.”
• Many pet owners consider their pet as a part of their family. They treat it like a child and speak to it as if it were a baby. “These attachments can lead to improved psychological health…which in return may bolster physiological well-being.”

Overview

In this academic article from Journal of Social Issues titled “The Effects of Animals on Human Health and Well-Being” author Deborah Wells explains multiple benefits of animals on human health and well being. She describes how animals act as a benefit for both psychological and physical health.

Role In Conversation

This article helped support my other articles by restating the significance of how being around animals is a benefit to mental health. I learned that petting dogs has a positive impact on humans physical health due to the benefits of decreased blood pressure and heart rate. I also relearned the importance of dogs in social interaction. This article links to my research question. Although this source wasn’t directly linked to depression, the benefits listed are ways that can help reduce depression symptoms.

"The Power of Pets: Health Benefits of Human-Animal Interaction" NIH (2018)

Key Ideas

Overview

• Interacting with animals has shown to have many positive health outcomes including decreasing the stress hormone,cortisol, and also decreasing other negative health outcomes like high blood pressure.
• Connecting with animals improves overall wellbeing by decreasing loneliness and increasing feelings of emotional support which can increase your mood
• Dogs can be brought into places where elderly people are either sick or isolated to help reduce their stresses and anxieties.
• Mindfulness is something that can help decrease symptoms of mental health disorders such as anxiety. Mindfulness includes attention, compassion and awareness, which is something that animals know how to do, but humans may be lacking in. Dogs can provide a good example of mindfulness that can help those with mental health struggles.
• It has been shown that learning how to take care of a pet can help people learn how to take care of themselves. By having to take care of the physical needs for something and realizing that theycan do it, they can feel more motivated to do the same thing for themselves.

This article “The Power of Pets’ comes from the NIH website whose purpose is to produce monthly newsletters that provide practical health information and tips. The article discusses multiple health benefits from owning a pet and how they can serve as a source of comfort and support.

Role In Conversation

What I learned from this source was that there are many physical health benefits of owning a pet which in return improves mental health outcomes. When it comes to depression it can be very difficult to take care of yourself physically. By owning a pet and having to take care of their physical needs it can give you confidence to take care of your own physical needs which will help with your mental needs.