Pets and Mental Health

This book, published in 1988, has been written by Odean Cusack. The publishers say:

“This fascinating … book addresses … research and provocative findings on the use of pets in mental health therapy. The historical basis of using pets in therapy is reviewed, and numerous examples are provided of results incurred from prescribing pets to disabled, lonely, incarcerated, and institutionalized individuals. The author provides convincing evidence of the therapeutic value of animals in making us happier, healthier, and more sociable. Although the terms human-animal bond and pet-facilitated therapy are relative newcomers to the scientific literature, the concepts they encompass have been with us for centuries …”

Table of Contents:

  • The Human-Animal Bond
  • Why We Love Our Pets: A Naturalistic/Psychoanalytical Approach
  • Why We Love Our Pets: A Learning Theory Perspective
  • Depression
  • Stress and Anxiety
  • Psychiatric Patients
  • Pets and Children
  • Pets and Adolescents
  • Pets in the Family
  • Pets and the Elderly
  • Tiffany: Portrait of a Canine Cotherapist
  • Prison Pets
  • The Veterinarian as Human Psychologist
  • The Death of a Pet
  • Pet-Facilitated Therapy for the Physically Challenged
  • Closing Thoughts
  • Bibliography and Selected Readings
  • Appendix: Organizations Involved in Pet Therapy and Research Into the Human-Animal Bond
  • Index

You can find out more from here.

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