克索瑞波的單心宅

此篇文章轉錄自Medical News Today（點此連結）；文章主要論述：狗能幫助士兵自「創傷後壓力症候群」（PTSD）中恢復。正如文章所說，「動物不僅可愛，亦能提供支持」，這說法也可以解釋為什麼很多單身或孤單的人會決定養隻寵物來陪伴自己；而且動物陪伴勝於人彼此之間的陪伴，更在於「無言的」支持，人和人陪伴經常會擺出價值判斷的態度與回應（譬如：這次你得到教訓下次你就會配合疏散了），反而狗，無言地陪伴，搖搖尾巴，耐心地跟在主人身旁，讓人能感覺到更大的包容與接納。

U.S. Army: Dogs Help Battle PTSD

05 Jul 2010

The Army is using dogs "much more" to help soldiers recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) according to the Army Surgeon General's special assistant for mental health, Col. Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, M.D., who spoke at the annual convention of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). 

"Animals are not just cute," Ritchie said. "They provide support."

The effectiveness of man's best friend and other animals, such as horses for equine therapy, as part of mental health care is anecdotal, Ritchie said, but it is being taken seriously and researched.

The observation came at a 2010 NAMI Convention symposium on "Veterans and Military Mental Health," focusing on the needs of returning soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as other veterans.

Ritchie's statement was consistent with the findings of a NAMI report released last year, Depression: Gaps and Guideposts, which found that about 20 percent of people living with depression have used animal therapy in treatment, with 54 percent finding it "extremely" or "quite a bit" helpful.

In 2006, NAMI's Advocate e-magazine published an article noting that although more research was needed, Aaron Katcher, M.D., emeritus professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, had found that "social support is a critical variable in the recovery from many serious biological disorders including psychiatric illnesses."

The 2010 NAMI convention symposium was broadcast live on C-SPAN. During the question and answer, three psychiatric service dogs named Mozart, Precious and Ozzie, patiently stood in line with their owners, who waited at an aisle microphone for a turn to speak.

The Psychiatric Service Dog Society provides information for persons living with severe mental illness who wish to train a service dog to assist with the management of symptoms.

"One size does not fit all," said Ira Katz, M.D., senior consultant for mental health services in the office of patient services in the Department of Veterans Affairs. Across the board, more research is needed on evidence-based treatment to provide a broad range of options.

Source:
NAMI