Can people with psychiatric disorders like bipolar disorder or depression benefit from pets? The answer is “yes.”
An increasing number of dogs are being trained to assist individuals with problems ranging from seizure disorders, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, and psychiatric disorders. Not only will these people benefit from the love of and for a pet, but they are also permitted under the Americans with Disabilities Act to employ the assistance of service dogs.
Experts say that owning a pet is generally good for people. There are social and emotional benefits to loving and caring for another creature and having that affection returned.
Benefits have been reported by trained volunteers who hold informal activities in institutional settings such as prisons, hospitals and nursing homes. These animal-assisted activities provide patients with the opportunity to hold and cuddle pet and interact with rabbits or dogs or even pigs.
In animal-assisted therapy, animals are used in formal therapy sessions. Researchers say that the presence of a friendly animal helps to ease a patient’s anxiety. This involvement can also improve social interactions and decrease aggressive behaviors.
Psychiatric service dogs are also used to perform specific tasks that reverse the negative effects of a person’s mental illness.
To qualify for the protection and allowances of the Americans with Disabilities Act, both the individual and the canine, must meet specific criteria. In short, an individual must have a disability and a service dog must be specifically trained to meet the needs of that disability.
In a nutshell, the role of service dogs is to render:
Assistance in a medical crisis – service dogs are trained to retrieve medications, beverages and telephones. They can bark for help, answer a door bell, and even dial 911 on special K9 speaker telephones.
Treatment related assistance – these special animals can be trained to deliver messages, remind individuals to take medications as specific times, assist with walking as well as alerting sedated individuals to doorbells, phones or smoke detectors.
Assistance coping with emotional overload – service dogs can be taught to prevent others from crowding their owner. They can be taught to recognize a panic attack and nuzzle a distraught owner to help with calming.
Security enhancement tasks – canines are often trained to check the house for intruders. They can turn on lights and open doors. They can assist with leaving premises during an emergency.
In summation, service dogs benefit those with psychiatric disabilities. These pets have a positive impact on an individual’s health and psychological well-being.
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