Simply put, a service animal is trained to perform a specific task while an emotional support animal provides comfort. Most people are familiar with the use of Service Animals to assist people with mobility, vision or other physical disabilities. With the advancement of mental health treatment, emotional support animals and psychiatric service dogs that assist people with emotional disabilities are becoming more common. 

Why do people confuse emotional support animals with service animals?

Symptoms related to Mental Health conditions can impact people in a variety of ways, but not all symptoms render an individual “disabled” according to the The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, also known as ADA.  Simply having a mental health diagnosis does not necessarily warrant the use of an ESA or PSD.  ADA defines a mental health disability as an impairment that greatly limits one or more major life activities.  

Emotional Support Animals provide comfort and companionship to individuals impacted by mental health symptoms that meet the ADA’s definition of “disabling” but they are not considered to be “service animals”.

Psychiatric service dogs fall under the category of “Service Animals” in that they are specially trained to perform tasks for people with a qualifying disability.   Psychiatric Service Animals make it possible for disabled individuals to live a more independent lifestyle and participate in activities they otherwise would not be capable of.

Although an ESA may have formal training in areas such as obedience, agility and owner protection, they do not qualify as a “service animal” if they are not specially trained to perform a specific task.  

Both Emotional Support Animals and Psychiatric Service Dogs play a very important role in the management of Mental Health conditions.  Here are a few examples of how they are used and how they are different.

Emotional Support Animals

• A patient with anxiety is experiencing the early symptoms of a panic attack and begins petting their Emotional Support Cat.  This comforting interaction reverses the symptoms the patient is experiencing or minimizes their severity.

• Depressive symptoms have made it difficult for a patient to find motivation to leave the house.  The responsibility related to caring for an emotional support dog forces the patient to take the dog for a walk at least twice a day and helps establish a routine.

• A patient experiences significant social anxiety when meeting new people and has developed a tendency to isolate.  They have committed to taking their emotional support animal to a public dog park on a regular basis.  At the dog park, the patient is often approached by other dog owners to engage in conversations about their pets.  Because the patient is comfortable with this topic they become open to making new friends.

Psychiatric Service Dogs

• A patient with Borderline Personality disorder frequently experiences episodes of dissociation where they feel detached from themselves and “zone out”.  Their psychiatric service dog has been specially trained to identify when their handler has dissociated and respond by applying gentle teeth pressure to the patient's forearm.  Performing this task interrupts the dissociation and helps the patient return to the present moment.

• An active military veteran diagnosed with PTSD is paralized when faced with entering a dark room.  They are constantly accompanied by their Psychiatric Service Dog who has been specifically trained to enter the room first and turn on the light.  Performing this task makes it possible for the patient to evaluate the space for safety.

• When the medication regimen becomes inconsistent for a patient with Bi Polar Disorder they become resistant to taking the medications necessary to stabilize their condition.  The patient was provided with a psychiatric service dog trained to alert them when it is time to take their medication and bark persistently until the patient complies.  This task creates an unpleasant environment for the reluctant patient, giving them the choice to take their medication or continue to endure the dog’s behavior.

During difficult times, many people who are struggling with symptoms such as depression, anxiety, loneliness or a tendency to isolate turn to their pets for comfort and companionship.  When the therapeutic benefits of a pet are combined with other methods of treatment, the result can be life-changing for the patient.  Having an emotional support animal affords them the opportunity to self-manage their symptoms and increase the effectiveness of the overall treatment plan.

REFERENCES

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 

https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/assistance_animals

28 CFR, Part 36, Subpart A, ().  Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability by Public Accommodations and in Commercial Facilities. https://www.ada.gov/reg3a.html#Anchor-36000

Brennan, J., Nguyen, V., (2014).  Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals:

Where are they allowed and under what conditions?, (II, III, IVc) https://adata.org/guide/service-animals-and-emotional-support-animals

Evans, R., How a Dog Can Help With Depression (2020) https://powerfulpatients.org/2020/04/29/how-a-dog-can-help-with-depression/

U.S. Department of Justice, Civil RIghts Division, Disability Rights Section.  Frequently Asked Questions about Service Animals and the ADA (2015) https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.pdf

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD No. 20-013, HUD Issues Guidance on Reasonable Accommodations under the Fair Housing Act Relating to Assistance Animals (2020) https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/HUD_No_20_013