The Physical and Emotional Benefits of Animal-Assisted Therapy On Patients with Mood and Psychotic Disorders

Background: The amount of diagnoses related to mental illness continues to rise each year. Several studies suggest that animal-assisted therapy may offer a range of physical and emotional benefits to patients being treated for mental health disorders. Objectives: To identify the benefits of animal-assisted therapy on patients with mood and psychotic disorders and to identify which specific mental health patient population receives the greatest benefit by using animal-assisted therapy. Methods: Three databases were used to find scholarly journal articles for analysis: CINAHL Complete, PubMed, and PsycInfo. Articles that were included were from reputable journals, peer-reviewed and published between 2007-2017. Results: Eight out of the ten articles analyzed reported an increase in positive psychological symptoms. Two out of the ten articles analyzed reported physiological changes. Other common findings included pain reduction, an increase in self-confidence and self-esteem, decreased anxiety, and improved cognitive functioning. Conclusions: This study found the benefits of animal-assisted therapy to be significant. Along with traditional medicine, healthcare providers should consider AAT for treatment of mental health disorders to improve symptoms associated with mood and psychotic disorders. No diagnosis was found to have more significant benefits than another. Key words: animal-assisted therapy, animal therapy, pet therapy, mood disorder, psychotic disorder, psych, psychiatric, inpatient psychiatric, and mental healt