Psychiatric service dogs are trained to help with a number of mental health and psychiatric conditions, including depression. For someone who is disabled due to their experiences with depression, a service dog can be incredibly helpful in relieving some of the major symptoms of their condition and providing them with comfort in their day-to-day life.
In this article, we will discuss what a psychiatric service dog is in comparison to other types of service dogs. Then, we’ll give you an idea of how a psychiatric service dog can help with depression and how you might go about receiving one, so you can get started on your journey to receiving necessary assistance.
A psychiatric service dog is trained to deal with specific psychiatric and mental health conditions such as anxiety disorders, depression, PTSD, OCD, and autism. These dogs are taught to provide comfort and relief to their owners by performing tasks such as retrieving medication, alerting them to the onset of symptoms, guiding their owners, and providing support in public.
Psychiatric service dogs can also be taught to search rooms and identify whether or not something is a hallucination for their owner.
While any dog can be a psychiatric service dog with the right training and temperament, the most popular breeds are Poodles, Golden Retrievers, Havanese dogs, and German Shepherds. These dogs are known for their loyalty to their owner, intelligence in picking up service dog skills, and ability to provide a source of comfort and companionship.
The main difference between psychiatric service dogs and traditional service dogs is the disabilities that each category is taught to support. While a psychiatric service dog assists psychiatric and mental health conditions, a traditional service dog is taught to provide assistance to those with medical conditions, such as seizures or low blood sugar, and to alert to changes in their owner’s medical conditions.
Because traditional service dogs and psychiatric service dogs are both taught skills to help with an individual’s disability, they are granted the same legal public access protections under the ADA.
Emotional support animals (ESA), on the other hand, are not granted the same legal protections as a service dog. ESAs are not trained to perform any specific task for an individual’s disability, but they do help provide comfort and companionship in a therapeutic manner to their owners.
Any animal can be an emotional support animal as long as it provides support and therapy to the owner. You do not need to speak with a mental health professional about adopting an ESA unless you want your animal to be covered under the Fair Housing Act. More information about this can be found here.
A psychiatric service dog (PSD) can bring many benefits to those with depression, in addition to performing helpful tasks for their owner that help to combat symptoms of their condition. Below, we will be giving you an overview of the main ways a PSD can help with depression.
Individuals struggling with depression may find it hard to move about their days on a regular basis or maintain any type of daily routine. As they care for a service dog, these individuals can develop a sense of routine and may find it easier to get up and go about their day, simply because their dog is depending on them for care.
A main aspect of caring for a service dog is walking them on a regular basis. This can help the owner exercise more often, something that has been shown to reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, and may even facilitate social interactions as the owner talks to other dog owners out on a walk.
These activities can help an individual feel fewer negative emotions throughout the day and give them a positive routine to engage in daily.
Many individuals that struggle with depression may experience feelings of loneliness or self-isolation. Having a psychiatric service dog by their side can help reduce these feelings and provide them with a companion on which to rely on.
Their service dog will always be there when they start to feel lonely and will happily provide comfort and cuddles, which can be very meaningful to many owners.
If an individual cannot get their own medication or routinely forgets to take their medication, a psychiatric service dog can be trained to retrieve it for them via command. The dog can also be trained to bring medication on a schedule as part of a routine or to nag at their owner with barking or pawing until the individual takes their medication.
Oftentimes the medication that an individual takes for depression can be sedating and slows reaction time. If there is an outside emergency, such as a fire or an alarm, the service dog will work to wake up their owner and get them to safety. They will not stop alerting by barking, pawing, and nudging until their owner shows signs of movement.
Some individuals with depression may experience symptoms that can cause them to harm themselves via scratching, biting, or cutting. A psychiatric service dog is trained to notice the onset of these behaviors and to put themselves in the way of their owner; the dog will not move until the negative behaviors have stopped.
A PSD may also redirect their owner’s attention from self-injurious behaviors by bringing them a brush, leash, or toy so that they can turn their focus to a more positive activity.
If a PSD’s owner is experiencing a medical emergency or is unconscious and unable to be revived, the service dog can be trained to find help. They can do this by bringing a phone to their owner, by pressing a button to call help, or by leading first responders to their owner if they are unconscious and hidden out of the way.
For individuals with depression, it may be easy to become very emotionally overloaded either in public or at home. This emotional overload can cause negative symptoms and a worsening of their depression. By constantly being present as a comforting companion, a psychiatric service dog can help prevent instances of being overwhelmed.
If an owner does start experiencing a severe emotional overload, the dog can help ground them by placing their body, paw, or head on them and helping them to calm down.
If you believe that you could benefit from a psychiatric service dog, your first step is to bring up your concerns with your doctor or mental health professional. They will be able to determine whether you meet the basic qualifications for a service dog, such as having a disability that impacts the quality of your day-to-day life.
You will also need to meet other qualifications to be allowed a service dog, such as being able to care for the dog independently and being available to participate in a part of its training (this is essential to build the bond between you and your service dog).
Certain psychiatric service dog organizations may have different requirements that you need to meet before taking the dog home, so if you meet these basic qualifications, you should reach out to understand if there is anything else you need to do before being granted a dog.
Adopting a service dog can be a large financial commitment and fairly cost-prohibitive for some. The average service dog costs between $15,000 and $30,000 depending on the type of specialized training the dog needs to receive.
You will also need to prove that you are financially able to care for the dog throughout their life, including routine health care and veterinary visits. Some organizations will place service dogs with owners who have the need for one but not the finances available to purchase one at lower costs; you will need to search for and work with these organizations directly in order to find out if you qualify for one of these dogs.
If you are thinking about acquiring a psychiatric service dog to help with your depression, you should be aware of what your legal protections are. Under the ADA, your service dog is permitted to enter into any public area, even ones that dogs aren’t usually allowed in, and onto airlines.
You will not be required to pay additional pet fees in any of these areas, and it is illegal for you to be treated differently or seated in a different area because you are entering into an establishment with your service dog.
More information about your legal rights when living and traveling with a psychiatric service dog can be found here.
Individuals who are struggling with depression to the point where the condition affects their daily life may benefit from the help of a psychiatric service dog. A PSD can be trained to help comfort and alleviate symptoms of depression, making it easier for the owner to keep up a daily routine and go about their life with ease.
If you believe that you would greatly benefit from a psychiatric service dog, reach out to your doctor or mental health professional. When combined with the right medications and treatment plans, a psychiatric service dog can greatly improve the lives of those suffering from depression.