Feasibility of Animal-Assisted Therapy in the Treatment of Depression

Year 2024, , 543 - 553, 30.09.2024

Onour Impram , Fatima Zehra Allahverdi

https://doi.org/10.18863/pgy.1373976

Abstract

The objective of this review is to assess the potential inclusion of animal-assisted therapy practices in the treatment of depression. Given the documented rise in the incidence of depression in recent years, there is a recognized significance in exploring innovative approaches to depression treatments. While previous studies and systematic reviews have investigated animal-assisted therapy in general or in relation to topics like anxiety, no specific study detailing the impact of animal-assisted therapy practices on depression treatment was identified. Consequently, this review was undertaken to fill this gap. The review focused on studies conducted between 2011 and 2022, evaluating a total of 6 randomized controlled studies. The findings from these studies suggest that integrating animal-assisted therapy practices into the depression treatment process can yield positive effects. Despite the observed benefits, it is important to note that systematic application of animal-assisted therapy reveals certain deficiencies. Therefore, there is a recognized need for additional studies to address and refine the systematic implementation of animal-assisted therapy in the context of treating depression.

Keywords

Depression, animal assisted therapy, psychological disorders

Depresyon Tedavisinde Hayvan Destekli Terapinin Uygulanabilirliği

Abstract

Bu sistematik derlemenin amacı, hayvan destekli terapi müdahalelerinin depresyon tedavisine entegre edilip edilmediğini araştırmaktı. Her ne kadar önceki çalışmalar ve sistematik incelemeler hayvan destekli tedaviyi genel olarak veya anksiyete gibi alanları incelemiş olsa da, bu çalışma sadece hayvan destekli tedavinin depresyon üzerindeki etkisini inceleyen randomize kontrollü çalışmalara odaklanması nedeniyle benzersizdir. 2011-2022 yılları arasındaki çalışmaları kapsadı. Son yıllarda depresyon düzeylerindeki ciddi artış nedeniyle depresyonun incelenmesi önem taşıyor. Sistematik derleme için altı çalışma seçildi. Araştırmaların sonuçları, hayvan destekli tedavinin depresyon tedavi sürecine entegrasyonunun olumlu etki yaratabileceğini gösteriyor. Depresyon tedavisi açısından hayvan destekli tedavinin çeşitli şekillerde katkı sağladığı gözlemlenmiştir. Ancak hayvan destekli tedavinin sistematik olarak uygulanmaması nedeniyle gelecekte çalışmaların yapılması gerekmektedir.

Keywords

Depresyon, hayvan destekli terapi, psikolojik bozukluklar

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