1. Vegetative symptoms and behaviour of the therapy-accompanying dog of a chronically suicidal patient
- Author
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Andreas Kordon, Anette Schöntges, Angelica Staniloiu, and Jan Sarlon
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Exacerbation ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Animal-assisted therapy ,Suicide, Attempted ,Suicidal Ideation ,03 medical and health sciences ,Dogs ,0302 clinical medicine ,Novel Diagnostic Procedure ,Animal Assisted Therapy ,Animals ,Humans ,Medicine ,In patient ,Dog Diseases ,Psychiatry ,Suicidal ideation ,Depressive Disorder, Major ,Comparative psychology ,Behavior, Animal ,Animal Welfare (journal) ,business.industry ,Human-Animal Bond ,Data interpretation ,General Medicine ,Middle Aged ,Anxiety Disorders ,030227 psychiatry ,Treatment Outcome ,Female ,medicine.symptom ,Risk assessment ,business ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
We herein present a 51-year-old single female inpatient with treatment-resistant recurrent depressive disorder. Her most recent depressive episode has been severe and followed a chronic course, lasting for longer than 2 years. During the exacerbation of the patient's suicidal thoughts and plans, we repeatedly and independently observed vegetative and behavioural changes of the therapy-accompanying dog of the patient. Our findings suggest a role for dog-assisted therapy for augmenting treatment as well as for enhancing and developing novel adjunctive strategies for risk assessment in patients with chronic depression and suicidality. Possible social-biological mechanisms and underpinnings are discussed, by drawing on the available literature and comparative psychology. Collaboration with animal behaviourists and animal welfare scientists, in order to improve behavioural and physiological data interpretation and humaneness of dog-assisted therapy, is emphasised as a crucial component of future research.
- Published
- 2018
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