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Welcome to The Mental Minute where our goal is to make mental health an everyday conversation. Take a few minutes to enjoy today’s news, tips, key resources and product reviews.

New research shows that therapy dogs can make a real difference for people hospitalized with severe mental illness by easing loneliness and emotional distress during tough stays. Patients who interacted with trained dogs reported more comfort, better moods, and a stronger sense of connection, suggesting that animal support can be a powerful emotional boost alongside clinical care.

The presence of dogs also helped people feel seen and comforted, which is especially important when hospital stays can feel isolating or overwhelming. While therapy dogs aren’t a replacement for traditional treatment, these findings highlight how simple, human-animal connection can help people feel calmer and more grounded during challenging times.

Read More: Therapy Dogs Ease Loneliness Among People Hospitalized For Mental Illness (US News and World Report)

New research suggests that if your teen sleeps in on the weekend, it might actually be good for their mental health — especially if they’re not getting enough rest during the school week. Teens who use weekend catch-up sleep to make up for lost hours during the week were found to have about a 41% lower risk of depression compared with those who don’t, according to a study of 16- to 24-year-olds.

That’s likely because teens’ bodies are biologically wired to fall asleep later and need more total sleep (about 8–10 hours) than most of them actually get on weekdays. Since early school start times and busy schedules often create chronic sleep debt, allowing extra sleep on Saturdays and Sundays can help reset their brains and moods.

Read More: Sleeping In Is Actually Good For Teen’s Mental Health (Good Housekeeping)

A therapy dog is a trained, calm, and friendly pet that provides psychological or physiological comfort to people in places like hospitals, schools, nursing homes, and disaster scenes. Unlike service dogs, they are not trained to assist with a specific disability and do not have public access rights, but they are encouraged to interact with, and be petted by, many people.

Therapy dogs can be any breed but must pass certification, such as those from the Alliance of Therapy Dogs or other recognized organizations.

Since online sports betting became legal in Florida, the state’s problem-gambling helpline has been swamped — with calls more than doubling and struggling to keep up with the volume as betting apps make it easy to gamble anytime from your phone. Help-line staff and mental health counselors are reporting what they call “astronomical” increases in anxiety, depression, addiction struggles, financial losses, and emotional distress tied to compulsive betting behaviors.

While not everyone who bets will develop problems, the accessibility and constant advertising seem to normalize risky habits and make it harder for people to set boundaries or walk away when they’re overwhelmed. Many callers are young adults, and support resources are underfunded, meaning help can take longer to reach those who need it most.

Read More: Florida Sees 'Astronomical' Rise In Mental Health Issues Since Legalizing Sports Betting (WPTV)

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