Wednesday, April 30, 2008 Literatus: Friends that heal By Zosimo T. Literatus, R.M.T. Breakthroughs
WELL-KNOWN author George Eliot noted her novel Mr. Gilfil’s Love Story: Scenes of Clerical Life (1857) how animals could be a force for good (a channel for God’s overflowing grace): “Animals are such agreeable friends—they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms.”
Last week, you were introduced to animal-assisted therapy (AAT) and the Cost Action 866, a research project based on the concept of Green Care (GC).
GC farms were associated with hospitals, psychiatric departments and other health institutions.
But that was a thing of the past. Today, most GC projects involve community gardens, city farms, and allotment garden/farms.
Many GC farms are smaller than traditional farms. But there is often a diversity of activities. During the last 10 years, an increasing number of persons with mental disorders work with farm animals as part of their therapy. The success of the GC programs can shift treatments for mental illness from institutional medical regime to increased social integration and normalization of care.
A research team, led by Bente Berget, made the first clinical trial ever that applied AAT with farm animals for persons with psychiatric disorders. The study, beginning February 2003 to Jan 2006 aimed to find out its effects on the patients self-efficacy, coping ability, and qualify of life. Berget worked for the Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (As, Norway).
The study involved 90 patients (59 women, 31 men) with schizophrenia, affective disorders, anxiety, and personality disorders. More than 50 percent of the patients had been ill for more than five years, and 72 percent had been treated in psychiatric health institutions for more than three years.
About 83 percent of the patients received daily medications at the time they were included in the study. Their medications include antipsychotics (53 percent), antidepressants (50 percent), sedatives (35 percent), and mood stabilizers (27 percent).
All patients received standard therapy (individual, group and other kinds of therapy) in addition to a stable medical treatment. The tested patients however received AAT in addition.
With AAT, patients visited a farm for three hours, twice a week for 12 weeks to work with the farm animals. The patients only worked with the animals, and not allowed to do other kinds of farm work.
The work depended on the patient’s coping ability and interest, with patients given the chance of physical contact with the animals. You’d be surprised on the outcome of the study. But that’s for next week.
Anatole France, Nobel Prize for Literature winner in 1921, has this to say: “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”
