- Hey, everybody.
Today, we're gonna talk about service animals.
What does it mean to have a service animal
and how do they differ from other types
of support animals?
But, before I jump into that,
are you new to my channel?
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But, let's jump into this topic.
First, let's talk about the difference
between a service animal and an emotional support animal
because I think that these are often confused.
Now, a service animal is any dog
that is trained to do work or perform tasks
for the benefit of an individual
with a disability, including a physical,
sensory, psychiatric, intellectual,
or other mental disability.
Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic,
trained or untrained,
are not really considered service animals.
Another type of service animal
is a psychiatric service dog.
Now, this type of dog is a specific type
that is trained to help their owner
with a psychiatric disability
or a mental illness such as PTSD,
schizophrenia, depression, anxiety,
or bipolar disorder.
These dogs are trained to alleviate
some of their owner's struggles,
such as reminding them to take their medication
or even barking to otherwise signal them
to stop doing any, you know,
those repetitive or harmful behavior.
It's actually pretty cool
and they can be really, really helpful.
Now, on the other hand,
emotional support animals are often part
of a treatment plan and used as therapy animals.
They are not considered service animals
under the American Disabilities Act.
These support animals provide companionship,
relieve loneliness, and can even help with depression,
anxiety, and phobias.
They do not have any special training
to perform tasks that assist people with disabilities.
A letter from a medical doctor,
or a therapist such as myself,
is all that's really needed to classify
an animal as an emotional support animal.
I find emotional support animals
to be extremely helpful with my patients
who struggle to get out of bed
or care for themselves,
especially some of my patients
who have struggled with suicidal thoughts
or maybe have even attempted suicidal in the past.
Having something that is depending on us
to take care of it, you know, walk it,
feed it, et cetera,
can not only keep us fighting for recovery,
but also help us get up and get out
of the house each and every day.
And I think it's important to address
the fact that there's definitely been
an increase in the abuse of the ESA,
or emotional support animal system.
Many people claiming their animal
is an ESA so that they can bring them into restaurants,
grocery stores, and even on planes,
and as a licensed therapist,
I'm frequently asked to write people letters
for their animals.
Some are valid requests from my patients,
which I'm happy to do, but others are from people
who I'm seeing in my practice
and I don't really even know very well.
And technically speaking, this is against legal
and ethical standards that every mental health professional
should hold themselves to,
and I also find it offensive,
not only to my profession, but also to the people out there
who truly benefit from having
an emotional support animal, because ultimately,
if all animals are given paperwork
that they are ESAs,
then no animal is an ESA
because there's no special distinction.
But, there are tons of benefits.
While I believe that people abuse
the emotional support animal system,
I still think it's important to talk briefly
about why having an animal is good
for our health as a whole.
Now, petting an animal can help lower our blood pressure
and our heart rate, not to mention the fact
that if you have an animal that needs
to be walked, it gets you up and moving every day,
it can be really great for our health.
More recent studies have linked petting animals,
it doesn't even actually matter
if they're fluffy or not, so,
super cool, even petting a turtle,
it releases oxytocin, which comes from our pituitary gland,
kind of in the middle of our brain,
and oxytocin is a relaxation hormone.
Fun fact, it's the hormone
that helps us attach emotionally to others,
which might be why we love pets so much,
and when oxytocin is released,
it decreases the release of cortisol,
which if you don't know what cortisol is,
it's a steroid hormone that's linked to stress and anxiety,
so it just makes us feel really, really good.
They also believe that by having an animal,
it encourages others to approach you and interact.
I'm guilty of that.
I see a cute dog on the street
and I'm like, "Hey, do you mind if I pet your animal?
"Hi," you know, I'm interacting with them.
So, if we struggle to meet new people
or make new friends,
having an animal could help with that.
Not to mention there's also meetup groups
where it's for, like, dog owners specifically,
or cat owners specifically,
and you go to places where you can bring your animal.
It's kinda cool.
Overall, having an animal is good for our health.
It can improve our mood, lower our blood pressure,
and help us feel connected to another being.
So, if you're considering adopting a pet,
I say go for it.
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I hope you found that information helpful.
I know there is so much confusion
when it comes to support and service animals,
and this should hopefully have cleared it up for you.
But, I wanna hear from you.
Do you have a support or service animal?
How do they help you?
How did you go about getting one?
I know a lot of people have questions about that,
so let us know in those comments down below
because with my expertise and your experience,
we keep working towards a healthy mind
and a healthy body,
and I'll see you next time.
Bye.