Is it true that doctors can "prescribe" a person with anxiety/panic attacks a pet as therapy?
Sunday, February 14th, 2010 at
4:12 pm
I have always suffered from horrible anxiety attacks, and nothing seems to help. I have been given different types of medicines for it but they seem to only temporarily fix the problem. Recently, one of my neighbors informed me that he has the same problem and his doctor suggested having a pet as therapy for it. I have heard of this before. Is this true? Can a pet really be good for these types of things? And if so, do doctors really "prescribe" pets?
Filed under: Anxiety Attacks
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Well, all I know is that my 2 dogs, 1 bird and a guinea pig all make my life a happier one. Animals bring love and companionship in a way people just can’t. Animals don’t judge you, don’t yell, don’t manipulate or put demands on you. All they want is to love and be loved. I have many medical issues as well as severe anxiety, and it really does help having animals around. My dogs seem to know when I am feeling extra bad/depressed and when that happens they don’t leave my side.
Doctors dont just prescribe things that can be filled at a pharmacy – they prescribe things which are going to improve a persons quality of life – those things can include changes in diet, exercise, meditation, and while it might be unusual – a pet might be among those things, especially for people who are sufering anxiety from feelings of loneliness and/or rejection. {Its one of the reasons why therapy dogs are used in homes for the aged, for example}.