LONDON - Researchers from the University of Leicester in the UK have found that swimming with dolphins can be a potentially relaxing exercise and can cure mild to moderate depression. These findings are evidence that the biophilia theory could hold some water.
The theory states that the health and well-being of humankind is in some way dependent on the positive relationships with the surrounding natural environment. In the current study, which incidentally took place off the Honduras coast, researchers observed 30 patients diagnosed with symptoms of mild to moderate depression. Half of this study group was assigned to the experiment, while the other half was designated as the control group. The experimental group was asked to swim and snorkel with dolphins for about 60 minutes every day for a fortnight. The control group was also given the same activity, but without the dolphins. All subjects were asked to discontinue their anti-depressant medication at least four weeks before the therapy. The depression scores were tallied before and after the experiment.
The researchers found that the overall scores of the experimental group was significantly less than that of the control group after the therapy. The researchers theorize in the latest issue of the British Medical Journal that the emotions raised by dolphins plus the aesthetic value of the exercise may have contributed towards the healing of the experimental group.
"Anecdotal reports of animal assisted therapy suggested there would be an effect, but this is the first randomized, controlled trial of people with depression diagnosed by strict criteria (ICD-10) using dolphins. There are very few such trials of assisted therapy using any animals," observed lead author Professor Mike Reveley, of the University of Leicester. It was also found that three months after the therapy, all subjects reported significant improvement in their symptoms.
