AUTHOR=Boitier Jacqueline P. , Huber Marion , Saleh Christian , Kerry Matthew J. , Hund-Georgiadis Margret , Hediger Karin 

TITLE=Is Animal-Assisted Therapy for Minimally Conscious State Beneficial? A Case Study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2020

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00491

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00491

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=Objective: The goal of this single case study was to qualitatively investigate the effects of animal-assisted therapy in a patient in a minimally conscious state.
Method: We present a 28-year-old female patient in a minimally conscious state following polytrauma after a sports accident leading to cerebral fat embolism causing multiple CNS ischemic lesions. She received eight animal-assisted therapy sessions and eight paralleled control therapy sessions over four weeks. We investigated the reactions of the patient during these sessions via qualitative behavior analysis.
Results: The patient showed a broader variability and higher quality of behavior during animal-assisted therapy compared to control therapy sessions. 
Conclusion: The observed behavioral changes showed higher arousal and increased awareness in the presence of an animal. The presented case supports the assumption that animal-assisted therapy can be a beneficial treatment approach for patients in a minimally conscious state.