Emotional Support Animals Can Help People with Depression

What Are The Emotional Support Animals?

      The appointment of an emotional support animal is a must – animals no longer serve only as pets but are integral tools for your overall emotional health. With so many humans facing isolation, loneliness, and loss in the aftermath of the international pandemic, emotional support animals are more important than ever. When you have an emotional support animal, you have a lifelong partner.

Emotional support animals can provide you with comfort when you need it most, they understand your mood and can lift your spirits, and they can help you change your central nervous system after a shocking event. Their hugs, their love, and their care make the heaviness of your hard days feel lighter.

Emotional Support Animal Definition

While all dogs provide an emotional connection with their owners, legally considered emotional support dogs, also known as emotional support animals (ESA), pets need to be prescribed by a licensed mental health professional for a man or woman for mental illness therapy. A therapist, psychiatrist, or psychologist must determine that a support animal is necessary for the mental health of the patient. For example, having a pet can ease a person's anxiety, or make him or her the center of attention in life. Dogs can be of all types and ages.(akc.org)

Emotional Support Animal Benefits

Why would someone choose to use an emotional support animal? Studies have long supported the concept that animals can provide significant mental health benefits. One review of research found that owning a pet has positive outcomes on mental health through the development of emotional connectivity, and helping people to control themselves in times of crisis.

Some other benefits that emotional support animals can also provide include.

- Reduces anxiety. Petting an animal can create a relaxation response and improve mood.

- Reduce loneliness. Animals can provide companionship, which is especially needed for humans living alone and experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety.

- Increase physical health. Studies have found that emotional support animals help lower blood pressure, reduce respiratory rates, and improve the ability to cope with pain.

- Trauma support. Pets can provide relief to humans facing difficult situations, such as those who have experienced some kind of trauma.

- Caring and love for each other. Caring for emotional support animals can also help give people a sense of belonging and purpose in life. Not only do animals give unconditional love and friendship, but they also need attention and love in return, which can be emotionally rewarding.

Service Animal and Emotional Support Animals

Service animals and emotional support animals play a vital role for humans with physical and/or mental disabilities.

Emotional Support Animals

An emotional support animal – from time to time known as an “ESA” or “companion animal” – can be any animal, that experiences an event, or helps relieve signs and symptoms of a disability. ESAs usually help people who experience anxiety, depression, and many other disabilities.

Service Animals

Service animals are mostly dogs or cats -- or, in rare cases, miniature horses -- specially trained to perform specific tasks for disabled men or women. A service animal can guide a person with visual impairment, detect seizures, or keep people calm during a panic attack.

How do I Figure out if an ESA is Proper for Me?

There are no hard rules about who will and won't benefit from an ESA. The main advantage is often the simple companionship, which comes from spending time with animals. Animals can be great entertainers at some stage, especially in times of difficulty, and much-needed high-quality presence on a rough day.

Depending on the type of animal, caring for the animal can be a chore. For some people, this kind of responsibility can be a useful motivation to do things related to routine, for example: feeding your pet at the same time every day, or getting out and exercising often (for example: walking the dog).

If you think that an ESA may be right for you, start a conversation with your mental health professional about it. Tell them why you think having an ESA would be of great use to you. Your experts will of course also know about ESAs, and can tell you whether they would recommend it for you, or you may need to learn more about ESAs collectively before they make a recommendation.

How do You Getting an Emotional Support Animal

To take advantage of an ESA, you need a "prescription" from a mental health professional. It's just a signed letter, stating that you have a mental health condition, and that your pet is helping you cope. Some landlords and airlines will accept letters from doctors, but usually, they should be from a therapist or psychiatrist.

Of course, you also need to have a pet. But, no special training is needed. That means if you already own a pet, you might be able to get certified as an ESA. Otherwise, getting an ESA is almost the same as getting any other pet! You should figure out what kind of pet is best for you, and find a local place for adoption. Be sure to talk to a mental health professional and your homeowner about it before you go for an adoption.

Summary

Emotional Support Animals are usually animals that are chosen to play an integral part in one's mental treatment methods and not pets. Animals must show good temperament and reliable, predictable behavior. An emotional support animal is recommended or prescribed for individuals with disabilities by mental health professionals. ESAs can be included in the treatment process to help reduce individual signs and symptoms of disability.