How Pets Help College Students Cope with Stress - Essay Example

According to a study conducted in 1977, pet therapy has been found to be the most efficient form of treatment for patients suffering from psychological distress (Moorhouse, 2009). In the year 1990, Dr. William Thomas used pets in a long-term care facility and the significance of animal usage was clearly visible. Animals helped people to recover fast because they were amused by the presence of animals. The anxiety, tensions, and frustrations automatically reduced with the presence of animals. This shows that animals have a tremendous effect on coping with the psychological distress of patients.

Pets help with Stress and AnxietyAn experiment was conducted in the United States by involving fourteen adults with clinical depression in a farm animal-assisted intervention. The patients were allowed to work in the farm fields with animals as well as they were allowed to stay in contact with dairy cattle. Each patient was video-recorded twice during the sessions. After a 12 week session, reports were absolutely in favor of pet therapy. The patients showed improvements tremendously. Their depression and anxiety decreased and self-efficiency increased.

Pet therapy has also been found to be effective during the treatment of cancer and chronic illnesses (Pederson, Martinsen & Berget, 2011). This shows that pet therapy is very important to the form of treatment for a variety of illnesses including depression and anxiety. Pets allow patients to reduce their stress and feel hopeful and happy. This factor helps in the treatment of patients who suffer from depression and they recover fast. Effect of a companion dog on depression and anxiety level of elderly patientsDogs have been used for therapeutic purposes in medical settings.

It has been observed that the activities by dogs entertain people, which amuse them. Dogs play a very important role in reducing depression among elderly people (Barker & Dawson, 1998). College students have complicated thoughts and they generally fall sick due to the amount of stress they have in their minds. It has been observed that companion dogs have reduced the number of stress students has in their minds. Dogs are generally active and they act in a certain manner, which makes people emotional and thoughtful.

Moreover, dogs have the ability to recognize the voice of people due to which patients come up with new thoughts instead of being depressed. Scientists and medical practitioners have experimented with pets in various medical settings and it has been observed that pet therapy did not have any negative impact on patients (Le Roux & Kemp, 2009). Moreover, on some patients, the application of pet therapy proved to be beneficial.ConclusionBased on the discussions it is clear that pet therapy is very essential during the treatment of depression and anxiety-related illnesses.

Pets help in the fast recovery of patients and the therapy does not have any negative impact on patients. Hence pet therapy is very useful for coping with stress and anxiety.