Dolphin Therapy Fights Depression

BBC News (UK): Swimming with dolphins appears to help alleviate mild to moderate depression, researchers have found. A University of Leicester team tested the effect of regular swimming sessions with dolphins on 15 depressed people in a study carried out in Honduras. They found that symptoms improved more among this group than among another 15 who swam in the same area - but did not interact with dolphins. The study is published in the British Medical Journal. All the volunteers who took part in the trial stopped taking antidepressant drugs or undergoing psychotherapy at least four weeks beforehand. Half the volunteers swam and snorkeled around dolphins for one hour a day over a two-week period. The others took part in the same activities, but without dolphins around. Two weeks later, both groups showed improved mental health, but especially so among patients who had been swimming with the dolphins. The researchers say dolphins' aesthetic value, and the emotions raised by the interaction may have healing properties. Some have speculated that the ultrasound emitted by dolphins as part of their echolocation system may have a beneficial effect. The Leicester team believe that using animals in this way could be a productive way to treat depression and other psychiatric illnesses.