Study proves pets help get us through dark times

Research co-authored by WellSouth suicide prevention/postvention co-ordinator and owner of dog Bernard, Bonnie Scarth, suggests pets can play a role in helping people in mental distress. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH

A cat or dog can literally be a lifesaver for many people, a new study co-authored by two South Island-based academics suggests.

WellSouth suicide prevention/postvention co-ordinator Bonnie Scarth and her co-authors, who include University of Otago academic Jesse Bering, interviewed 17 people who had experienced suicidal behaviour and asked how they now managed to live well.

They found that most of those people had created their own methods of managing, and that effective coping strategies often strayed beyond traditional mental health approaches.

Spirituality, the arts and taking care of a pet were among things which worked for some people, the article in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health said.

For some participants, concern about the well-being of their animals was enough to stymie any attempt at self -harm.

For another, the fact that they no longer cared about their cats was a warning that their potentially suicidal behaviour was becoming unmanageable.

"I was surprised when I was writing how little literature there is about pets, or the arts, in suicide prevention," Ms Scarth said.

"It is helpful for those of us in this field to explore these different avenues creatively, working in partnership with the people who need it.

"That isn’t to say we forego traditional mental health measures by any means, but it can work hand in hand," she said.

The article stems from research Ms Scarth carried out while on a Fulbright scholarship at Cornell University.

She found that surprisingly few studies had spoken to people with first-hand experience of living with

and through suicidal behaviour.

Most of her research subjects had had chronic suicidal thoughts all their lives, and all but three had experienced quite significant trauma as well.

Many of the study participants had learned to live well and they had lessons to teach others, Ms Scarth said.

"The traditional mental health approach does work some of the time but clearly we could do better, as suicide rates globally remain high and we haven’t found the magic solution," Ms Scarth said.

"It doesn’t hurt to look at other solutions, and really it makes sense to look at solutions which worked for people who have lived this first-hand. That seems a no-brainer to me."

mike.houlahan@odt.co.nz