Stress Over Sick Pet Can Lead to Mental Health Issues
(WorldNews Environment)

Caregiver stress is a familiar concern when someone cares for an elderly loved one. New research finds that caregivers of pets with chronic and terminal diseases face similar mental and physical health challenges as do individuals caring for elderly loved ones. Caregiver burden is linked to depression, anxiety and poor quality of life. However, there are ways to prevent and treat it. In the new study, researchers queried caregivers of pets with chronic and terminal diseases to discover what these caregivers go through and how they handle the stress. Until recently, very little scientific research has been published on this subject. Mary Beth Spitznagel, Ph.D., a clinical neuropsychologist...