Swimming with dolphins can alleviate depression, University of Leicester

Swimming with dolphins is an effective treatment for mild to moderate depression, say researchers from the University of Leicester in this week's BMJ.


Their findings support the theory of biophilia, which shows how human health and wellbeing are dependent on our relationships with the natural environment.


The study was carried out in Honduras and involved 30 patients diagnosed with mild or moderate depression. Half were assigned to the experimental group and half to the control group.



Over a two-week period, participants in the experimental group swam and snorkelled in the water with dolphins for one hour a day. Participants in the control group were assigned to the same water activities, but in the absence of dolphins, to control for the influence of water and the natural setting.


All participants discontinued antidepressant drugs or psychotherapy at least four weeks before entering the study, and were not allowed to take drugs during the study. Depression scores were measured before the study and at the end of treatment.



Although some participants dropped out of the study, the average severity of the depressive symptoms was more reduced in the experimental group than in the control group.


Animal facilitated therapy with dolphins is more effective than water therapy in treating people with mild to moderate depression, say the authors. Despite some study limitations, the effects exerted by the animals were significantly greater than those of just the natural setting.


The echolocation system, the aesthetic value, and the emotions raised by the interaction with dolphins may explain the mammals' healing properties, they suggest.



Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Leicester, Professor Mike Reveley, said: "We were delighted the results were so robust. Anecdotal reports of animal assisted therapy suggested there would be an effect, but this is the first randomised, controlled trial of people with depression diagnosed by strict criteria (ICD-10) using dolphins. There are very few such trials of assisted therapy using any animals."



Professor Reveley, who is part of the University's Department of Health Sciences, based at Leicester General Hospital, said the effect is probably due to the complex interaction with dolphins, and may well extend to other animals. Further randomised, controlled trials are needed to show this.



Three months after the study, participants in both groups also reported lasting improvement and did not require treatment. This suggests that in patients with mild or moderate depression, using drugs or conventional psychotherapy may not be necessary when biophilic treatment with animals is used, they conclude.



"Animals, especially domestic animals, are already used to support people with disability, loneliness, and isolation, but this study suggests that animals may also benefit people with clinical depression. More trials are needed with different animals.



Derived from the Greek, biophilia means literally 'love of life', and the concept has been developed by biologists to reflect the humans' natural tendency to affiliate with nature and animals, leading to interactions and positive emotions that result in psychological healing.





The authors of the paper are Christian Antonioli and Michael Reveley. Christian was a PhD student in the department when the study was carried out.


Randomised controlled study of animal facilitated therapy with dolphins in the treatment of depression BMJ Volume 331, pp 1231-4



University of Leicester Medical School

Leicester General Hospital

Leicester

UK

leicester.ac.uk



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