Social rehabilitation of separation-induced depressive disorders in monkeys.
The authors studied a group of four monkeys reared together, repeatedly separated from each other, and then exposed to another group of four monkeys reared in surrogate-peer groups who acted as therapists. The study group was compared with the therapist monkeys, a group exposed to the same separations but not to the therapist monkeys, a control group that experienced no separations, and two additional groups of stimulus animals. The authors' findings indicate that monkeys showing depressive begaviors after repeated separations can be returned to age-appropriate social performance through repeated exposure to socially active age-mates.
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D000882:Haplorhini; D006801:Humans; D008251:Macaca; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D010379:Peer Group; D011613:Psychotherapy; D012934:Social Isolation; D012951:Socialization