How pets help improve the mental health of their owners

Pets have always been a part of human history. Since ancient times, humans have brought up pets and kept them mainly for fun, and although dogs are among the first pets that a person possesses, this is mainly due to the dogs ’ability to help humans hunting or grazing, However, humans raised other animals, such as cats, horses, birds, and many others.

Of course, as we mentioned, raising these pets is often done for fun and sometimes to benefit from it in practice and economically. Today, pets are mainly raised for fun only, but what studies show increasingly and what many people do not know that these animals have many benefits, perhaps the most prominent of which is that It helps in improving the psychological health of people greatly, and it even contributes to treating some serious mental illnesses, which we will learn about in this article.

How do pets improve mental health?

Numerous studies have shown the many benefits of raising pets on mental health in several ways:

1. Pets help people suffering from anxiety and stress disorders. Anxiety can affect all aspects of life and prevent them from leading their lives normally. Rather, many suffer from anxiety and panic attacks that may constitute a real terror for them, but in addition to many treatments available, studies have shown that These animals reduce anxiety greatly in humans, and many scientific theories explain this matter have emerged as scientists have noted the high level of hormone oxytocin and low level of cortisol in pet owners, which may explain the low level of anxiety in a way Bear.
2. Pets push their owners out of their homes and interact with other people, especially other pet owners, which may be very beneficial to lonely people and contribute to protecting them from depression and loneliness. It also helps all people in general to make friends and meet new and different people, which is what It improves mental health for anyone.
3. Pets decrease the feeling of loneliness and make people feel their importance and that they are wanted, because many elderly people from all age groups suffer from loneliness and a feeling of not being important in this world and that no one needs them, which may be the cause of many psychological diseases such as depression, but these animals contribute Alleviate these negative feelings and prevent these diseases.
4. Pets force their owners to walk, and far from the many health benefits of this matter, such as the prevention of heart disease, studies have shown that this matter especially helps people who suffer from depression.
5. Pets help their owners to live the moment instead of exaggerating thinking about things, the time that owners of these animals spend caring about their pets and playing with them helps them spend longer periods of time while they spend a good time instead of continuing thinking about the things of life that are tiring and anxious, and it has been observed that This specifically helps teenagers as these animals are distracted from their troublesome thinking and reminded them of how to have fun.
6. Pets contribute to increasing self-confidence of their owners, and this is believed to stem from the fact that the owners of these animals are more social, in better health and less alone than others.
7. Pets help relieve anxiety in children as well, not in adults, and while psychological problems in children are often seen as a transitory fact that children are quickly forgotten, they are in fact extremely important because they have implications for the entire life of the child, so improving These animals for the mental health of children and reduce their anxiety rates help them enjoy a beautiful childhood and a better life when they reach their age.
8. Pets help their owners learn to adhere to, care for, and appreciate feelings such as love, affection, and longing, so the owners of these animals have a greater ability to enjoy emotional relationships and better marriages, but studies have found that children who had pets were more emotional awareness and more able to have emotional relationships Mature and successful.
9. Pets love their owners unlimited love that is not related to a person’s success, social status, and financial status. Of course, this love greatly improves mental health, especially for those who are going through difficult circumstances.
10. Pet owners gain a lot of good habits because of caring for their animals, such as getting up early and wandering in nature and the importance of caring for personal hygiene, all of these details are important for physical health, but they also contribute in many ways to improving the mental health of the owners of these animals.

How do pets help people with mental illness?

In fact, the matter is not much different from what we mentioned previously, but the result of all previous benefits and the results of ongoing studies on the benefits of pets on mental health These animals were used to help treat many mental illnesses, and while it seems clear from the above how these animals help to treat anxiety disorders Not only were these serious illnesses used, they were used to help treat those with other mental disorders.

One of the psychological disorders that pets may help in treating is hyperactivity disorder and lack of focus that many children suffer from. In this disorder the child is very active and active and has a little ability to focus and sit quietly, which results in a disorder in the child's ability to learn and expose him to Many problems and dangers, but it was noted that the child's ownership of and responsibility for a pet helps him greatly to overcome this disorder.

One of the other more serious disorders that pets can help children who suffer from is autism, autism is a serious disorder and is constantly increasing and it hinders the child in many cases from enjoying a normal life, but these animals help these children through many means such as overcoming sensory problems and getting them used to To feel things so that they can interact with other people, and it helps them to get away from their routine behavior and engage in something else.

In one of the studies that included people suffering from chronic mental disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and others, the results showed that pets help improve mental health even for these people by providing emotional support, love, and breaking their unity, as participants said that these animals occupied their thinking about Their illness, whatever its severity and severity, contributed directly to the improvement of their lives and their mental health.

Of course, studies are ongoing to this day to demonstrate how important these animals are to mental health and how well they can help those who suffer from mental disorders, but scientists and psychiatrists have already started to use these animals to treat patients, and today there is limited availability in some advanced psychological centers for pets Especially trained to be able to help these people.

Many organizations concerned with mental health are increasingly interested in the impact of these animals on mental health, but some institutions such as the Human and Animal Association Research Foundation (HABRI) that work in cooperation with hospitals and global health centers and institutions interested in mental health, such as the American Association for Anxiety and Depression, have emerged to discover how People with mental disorders can be helped to recover by using these animals.

Of course, owning a pet is a major responsibility and requires a lot of effort and work, but scientific studies and evidence indicate that it is really worth it on all levels, so what do you think? Have you ever had a pet? Did this animal have any effect on your mental health? Share your opinions and experiences in the comments.