Can Animal Assisted Interventions counteract apathy and improve physical activity levels in psychiatric patients with cognitive disability? A case study

Background: Patients with psychiatric disorders experience a reduced quality of life also due to the antipsychotic drugs assumed, that negatively affects their cognitive abilities. A healthy lifestyle, such as physical activity, can improve both functional abilities and mental health of patients with a dual diagnosis, psychiatric and cognitive. Despite this knowledge, these people are more sedentary than the general population, probably because of their apathy, core aspects of the illness. Animal Assisted Interventions (AAIs) seem to be a valid tool to stimulate them to practice physical exercise thanks to the empathy generated by the relationship with the animal.

Methods: This case study aims to evaluate the effect of 4 months AAIs on apathy and physical efficiency in 2 patients with dual diagnoses. Patient A and patient B, affected by psychiatric disorders and mild cognitive impairment, were recruited to perform an AAI, one with a dog and the other with a horse.

Results: At the end of the study data showed a decrease of apathy in both patients: -20,6% in patient A and -9.8% in patient B, as well as a reduction of psychiatric symptoms. Moreover, both patients improved the functional parameters evaluated through the Short Physical Battery Test (patient A = +33.3%; patient B = +28.6%).

Conclusions: The preliminary results of this case report suggest that well-structured, individualized AAIs, with a horse or with a dog, could be considered as a useful adjunctive therapy to the usual treatment programs to improve both functional abilities and mental health in psychiatric patients.