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ChristianKl comments on Methods for treating depression - Less Wrong
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Having something to care for creates motivation. A dog will bug you if you don't care enough for him and if he's stronger willed than you are, he just might get you to take action instead of doing nothing by looking at you with a sad face.
It easy to give your friends an excuse why you want to stay at home. When you however have a dog who looks at you and expects you to care for it the dog won't take any bullshit excuses.
It also an animal. Having a dog die because you don't care enough for it is tragic but less tragic than committing suicide because you took the wrong antidepressant.
If you really fail to develop a relationship with the animal you can also give it away.
Also, pets trigger oxytocin release.
A dog usually also "forces" you to exercise moderately by walking it and exercising while depressed is notoriously difficult to follow through on.
I vaguely remember reading a study that found talking to your dog gave the same result as talking to a therapist, (indicating that talking is more important than having someone listen) but I can't find the link at the moment, maybe I misremember.
Owning a dog is not the only option either, I have fairly regularly lent out some of mine to friends and family going through a rough patch with good results.
I suspect it depends on severity and cause though. If the depression is bad enough you may need chemicals just to get you to a level where you can benefit from other treatment.
Dog library needs to be a thing. Looking around on google it seems this program exists in some places.