A new study published in the CABI journal Human-Animal Interactions suggests that companion animals—including dogs, cats, fish and birds—do not significantly benefit the emotional health of owners with severe mental illness.
I have bipolar disorder and 2 dogs and a human family too.
Here are the problems I see: people with severe mental health disorders can be pretty poor pet owners. Severe depression can mean laying in bed but dogs need to get outside to pee and poop and exercise. If the owner isn’t focused enough or doesn’t have help, the animal can end up neglected and the environment can end up dirty.
In the case of bipolar disorder, it doesn’t matter what the animal does or doesn’t do. The disorder is like an internal injury: it doesn’t go away or lessen based on external stimuli. When the episodes happen they just happen. We can fight it and get therapy and stuff but the injury is still there. I could be as rich as Elon Musk and my manic and depressive episodes will still happen.
That said, I love my pets and even though I have a whole family, I am the one that takes them out, gives them medicine, buys their food (but my kid feeds them most days), and they depend on me more than anyone else.
I have bipolar disorder and 2 dogs and a human family too.
Here are the problems I see: people with severe mental health disorders can be pretty poor pet owners. Severe depression can mean laying in bed but dogs need to get outside to pee and poop and exercise. If the owner isn’t focused enough or doesn’t have help, the animal can end up neglected and the environment can end up dirty.
In the case of bipolar disorder, it doesn’t matter what the animal does or doesn’t do. The disorder is like an internal injury: it doesn’t go away or lessen based on external stimuli. When the episodes happen they just happen. We can fight it and get therapy and stuff but the injury is still there. I could be as rich as Elon Musk and my manic and depressive episodes will still happen.
That said, I love my pets and even though I have a whole family, I am the one that takes them out, gives them medicine, buys their food (but my kid feeds them most days), and they depend on me more than anyone else.