A pet can be a huge help in overcoming mental illness

I’ve had some wonderful pets over the years, and honestly, I couldn’t imagine being without a dog (or two!) in my life.

And if you’re a pet person, you certainly know how much your furry best friends mean to you.

But a new study has found that pets can be more important than ever to those suffering from mental illness. And those pet perks are also especially vital for our brave servicemen and women who are enduring PTSD.

In fact, pairing the right pet with the right person is more than just a good idea. It’s actually saving lives.

All creatures great and small

To see big, burly Marine Corp Sergeant Michael Gaskill holding his rescue Chihuahua Nugget may look funny to some, but to Gaskill, it’s just what the doctor (should have) ordered!

Sergeant Gaskill returned home from Iraq suffering from headaches, blurry vision, a traumatic brain injury and PTSD. And when he met Nugget at a Pets for Vets display during a Veteran’s Day event, he was, in his own words, “smitten.”

But it wasn’t just Nugget’s size that stole the Sergeant’s heart, it was that she also had faced a near-death experience and came out of it a tail-wagging survivor. These rescue dogs “have gone through what we have gone through,” he said.

Pets for Vets is one of several organizations that recognizes just how important animal companionship can be to those who still bear the scars of their service. The organization has chapters all over the U.S. where shelter pups are selected, trained and matched up with a vet.

Another group, Paws and Stripes, matches wounded vets with PTSD and brain injuries with fully trained service dogs at no cost. Not only do they provide canine companionship, but their specialized training means that they can accompany these vets everywhere they go.

And like Pets for Vets, all of the Paws and Stripes dogs come from animal shelters where many faced a certain death.

But while dogs can amazingly be trained to sense when a seizure or panic attack is coming on, other pets can be just as important for those suffering from mental disorders.

A new study by UK mental health researcher Helen Brooks with the University of Manchester found that best friends can come with feathers, too. One man who has pet birds said that coming home and hearing his birds singing makes all the difference in how he feels.

Another, who has a hamster, said that just watching the creature playing and being happy has helped with some difficult situations.

Through interviews with people suffering from serious “long-term mental illnesses,” Brooks discovered that pets can be the ones that help them the most – especially as such patients often find their social groups get smaller and smaller.

One of her study participants commented that “it’s really hard” for people who don’t suffer from these conditions to “know what the actual experience is like.”

But it looks like dogs and cats, and even pets like birds and hamsters, really do know. And those animals can “break through the isolation.”

If you know someone who’s struggling with depression or other mental health issues (especially if that friend or loved one is a returning veteran) and they don’t have a pet in their life, talk to them about getting one.

Not only could you be helping reduce their use of risky drugs, such as antidepressants, but if they adopt a dog or kitty from a local animal shelter, they’ll be saving a life.

And that makes this just about the best win/win ever!

“Pets help people manage the pain of serious mental illness’ Erin Ross, December 9, 2016, NPR, npr.org