"Any pet owner will tell you that their animal companions comfort and sustain them when life gets rough. This may be especially true for people with serious mental illness a study finds. When people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder were asked who or what helped them manage the condition many said it was pets that helped the most. When Im feeling really low they are wonderful because they wont leave my side for two days one study participant with two dogs and two cats They just stay with me until I am ready to come out of it. Another person said of their pet birds If I didnt have my pets I think I would be on my own. You know what I mean so its  its nice to come home and you know listen to the birds singing and that you know. Many people with serious mental illness live at home and have limited contact with the health care system says Helen Brooks a mental health researcher at University of Manchester in the United Kingdom and the lead author on the study which was published Friday httpsbmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.comarticles.s in the journal BMC Psychiatry. So theyre doing a lot of the work of managing their conditions. Article continues after this message from our sponsor Brooks says Many felt deep emotional connections with their pet that werent available from friends and family. Brooks and her colleagues interviewed  people with serious longterm mental illnesses. Twentyfive of them considered their pets to be a part of their social network. The scientists asked who they went to when they needed help or advice where they gained emotional support and encouragement and how they spent their days. The participants were then given a diagram with three consecutive circles radiating out from a square representing the participant. They were asked to write the people places and things that gave them support into the circles with the circles closest to the center being the most important. Sixty percent of the people who considered pets to be a part of their social networks placed them in the central most important circle  the same place many people put close family and social workers.  percent placed pets in the second circle.  This study participant had a limited social network so he placed his birds in the closest social circle in his life along with his social worker and gardening group.  Helen BrooksUniversity of Manchester  The interviews with participants are poignant and reveal the struggle and isolation that can come with mental illness. I think its really hard when you havent had a mental illness to know what the actual experience is like said one participant. Theres like a chasm deep chasm between us ... Other people are on one side of it and were on the other side of it. Were sending smoke signals to each other to try and understand each other but we dont always  we dont always understand. People with mental illnesses often see their social groups shrink and find themselves alienated from their friends. For many of these people says Brooks animals can break through the isolation. They give affection without needing to understand the disorder. Pets dont look at the scars on your arms one participant said. They dont question where youve been. The pets provided more than just emotional support and companionship participants said. The animals also could distract them from their illness even from severe psychosis. One study participant placed birds in his closest social circle. When he was hearing voices he said that they help me in the sense you know Im not thinking about the voices Im just thinking of when I hear the birds singing. Another participant said that merely seeing a hamster climbing the bars on the cage and acting cute helped with some difficult situations. And having to take care of pets keeps people from withdrawing from the world. They force me the cats force me to sort of still be involved said one participant. Another said that walking the dog helped them get out of the house and with people. That surprised me you know the amount of people that stop and talk to him and that yeah it cheers me up with him. I havent got much in my life but hes quite good yeah.  The routine these pets provide is really important for people says Brooks. Getting up in the morning to feed them and groom them and walk them giving them structure and a sense of purpose that they wont otherwise have. Many of the study participants are unemployed because of their illness she notes. Having a pet that was well taken care of was a source of pride for them. Mark Longsjo the program director of adult services at McLean Southeast http an inpatient mental facility in Middleborough Mass. says that the interviews in the study reflect his professional experiences. We have so many patients come through and we always ask them about their support system. Sometimes its family members sometimes its friends but its very common to hear about pets. When he does patient intake surveys Longsjo says that he includes pets in their risk assessments. Patients with pets often say the animals help keep them from following through on suicidal thinking because they know their pets depend on them. The social workers at McLean also incorporate pets into their aftercare planning encouraging patients to make walking and grooming their pets a part of their routine. I think theres significant value in considering the common everyday pet to be as important as the relationships one has with ones family in the course of their treatment says Longsjo. He feels this study is important because although theres a lot of work looking at the benefits of trained therapy animals http they can be expensive and out of the reach of many patients. Brooks hopes that more health workers will consider incorporating pets into care plans for people with mental illness. Many of her participants said that sometimes it felt like their pets could sense when they needed help the most and were able to provide it  just like the owners took care of them. As one person in the study said When he comes up and sits beside you on a night its different you know. Its just like he needs me as much as I need him."