Animal-Assisted Therapy in the Residential Treatment of Schizophrenia and Addictions

Animal-Assisted Therapy in the Residential Treatment of Schizophrenia and Addictions

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a complementary intervention of therapy that has shown positive results in the treatment of various pathologies. This study assesses the viability of the implementation and the efectiveness of an AAT program in patients diagnosed with substance abuse disorder and associated mental disorders (dual pathology).

Animal assisted therapy (AAT) is a complementary intervention to therapy that presents positive results in the treatment of different pathologies. The study assesses the implementation and effectiveness of a TAA program in patients diagnosed with substance use disorder and schizophrenia spectrum disorder.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Meeting DSM-5 criteria for substance abuse disorder and the presence of schizophrenia
• Voluntary participant in the study and having signed the informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients whose functioning could be altered by factors not specifically related to addictive pathology or mental disorder (severe cognitive impairment, intellectual deficiency or language barrier)
• Animal-specific phobia