Caring for a pet can get rid of depression

People who deal with abandoned or sick animals are exposed to high stress and depression symptoms, believe researchers. It is well known that caring for a seriously ill person requires a lot of effort, whether you are her doctor or her boyfriend, and increases the risk of anxiety and depression. The same is true for those who care for animals diagnosed with terminal illness. This type of stress, the caretaker, exposes the person to social isolation and poor quality of life. Link between owner and animal In general, pet owners think of their pets as family members, and previous studies show that vets are exposed to the same level of stress that other health professionals face. Under the impulse of these facts,.

Mary Beth Spitznagel and colleagues from Ohio State University have investigated how anxiety and depression can occur in owners of animals who have been diagnosed with a chronic or terminal illness. For this study, the team chose 119 people (out of the 600 registered) who had a suffering animal, then assimilated the results with other participants who had healthy cats or dogs. They found that the owners who struggled with the pet illness were, as expected, exposed to high levels of stress and symptoms of depression. .