Dealing with anxiety can be stressful, and for some, debilitating. When symptoms of anxiety arise, it can feel like nothing you do will relieve the anxiety and let you live your life as normal.
However, an emotional support animal (ESA) can make an impact on your treatment plan, and you may want to consider an ESA for anxiety if you need additional support, comfort, or relief from the symptoms of your anxiety condition.
Our article will tell you more about adopting an ESA for anxiety and how to ensure your ESA is valid so you can access your protected emotional support animal rights.
What Is an Emotional Support Animal?
Emotional support animals are animals that provide comfort, companionship, routine, and support to individuals with certain mental health conditions. Mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and chronic stress are among the most common conditions ESAs are prescribed to help with, though individuals can also receive the help of an ESA for conditions like PTSD, OCD, autism, and learning disabilities.
Your emotional support animal can be any type of animal, though the most common ESAs are dogs and cats. You could, however, adopt a bird, fish, snake, rabbit, or another animal you can feasibly care for to help with your mental health.
Your ESA does not need to be trained to complete tasks, but they do need to be well-behaved. For example, you can train a dog or cat to be on their best behavior, but if they damage property or harm someone, you could lose your ESA protections.
Is My ESA a Service Animal?
Your emotional support animal does not qualify as a service animal. Only dogs, and sometimes miniature horses, that are trained to help with an owner’s specific disability by completing tasks to directly alleviate symptoms are considered service animals. For example, a service animal may be trained to provide blood sugar alerts when their owner’s blood sugar changes, or they may be trained to guide someone who is visually impaired.
Because of the tasks they are able to perform, service animals are granted more protected rights than emotional support animals. While both of these animal friends are companion animals, ESAs are generally required to stay at home, providing their owners with comfort and support when they are in their presence.
ESA for Anxiety: Understanding the Benefits
Adding an emotional support animal to your treatment plan can be a great way to improve your overall mental health and experience relief from certain negative mental health symptoms. Below, we list the most common ways that an emotional support animal can help your anxiety.
- Provide a sense of routine – Caring for an emotional support animal can help provide you with a sense of routine, making it easier to go about your day and move from one task to the next, something that anxiety often causes issues with.
- Lower blood pressure – Studies have shown that caring for an animal, cuddling them, and spending time with them can help lower blood pressure and reduce stress levels, leaving you feeling much better.
- Encourage you to get out more – If you pick a social animal like a dog, they can help encourage you to get out, exercise, and interact with people, all things that can help anxiety; your animal also provides a welcome social buffer and comfort when in public.
- Deep pressure therapy – If you have a larger ESA, they can cuddle or lay on top of you to help you regain your calm or defeat panic attacks, something that is similar to deep pressure therapy or a weighted blanket.
- Helps counteract negative feelings – Caring for and loving your ESA, plus all of their silly antics, can help distract you from negative feelings, ground you in the moment, and provide you with the support you need to regain your sense of calm and happiness.
It’s important to note that this list is not exhaustive, there are plenty of other ways that an ESA can help you deal with your anxiety. Adding an emotional support animal to your treatment plan is a highly personal decision, and the benefits that you get from your ESA can be equally as personal.
How Do I Get an ESA?
If you want to add an emotional support animal to your treatment plan, your first step is speaking to a mental healthcare provider licensed in your state. While some states do allow doctors to provide the necessary documentation and prescriptions for ESAs, a therapist or another mental healthcare provider is generally more suited to evaluate your mental health condition and provide a suitable recommendation.
Schedule an appointment with your provider and speak to them about your concerns regarding your anxiety and your desire to add a companion animal to your treatment plan. It may take multiple appointments to discuss all of your options and your ability to care for an ESA with your provider.
If your therapist approves you for an emotional support animal, they will prescribe you one and write you an emotional support animal letter. This letter is the most important documentation to have for your ESA, and you must obtain this signed document before you are able to take advantage of your protected support animal rights.
What Are My Anxiety ESA Rights?
Once you have an official emotional support animal for anxiety, you will need to make sure you understand what rights you have with a companion at your side. The most important right to know about is the right to live with your emotional support animal in most areas of housing, regardless of pet policies and breed restrictions. You will not be required to pay for pet deposits or monthly pet rent, either, as you need your ESA for your mental health and they are not simply a pet.
The Fair Housing Act (FHA) protects your ESA housing rights, but there are some exceptions. For example, your emotional support animal must be legal to own in your state and reasonable for your housing unit; you cannot live with an ESA that is dangerous, out of control, or unable to be properly taken care of in your chosen housing.
As for other rights, emotional support animals do not have many. Some stores may allow you to bring your ESA shopping with you, as will pet-friendly parks and businesses, but you cannot expect public access rights. Access to public and private spaces is a right reserved for service animals, as these dogs are trained to help their owners and must accompany their owners at all times.
Will My Anxiety ESA Rights Ever Be Denied?
Your protected emotional support animal rights can only be denied in a few circumstances. Your ESA must be well-behaved, and they cannot be dangerous, destructive, or out of control. You cannot have an illegal animal or an exotic animal as your ESA, and you must be able to care for your emotional support animal in your chosen housing.
For example, if you live in a very small studio, two large Great Danes are not a suitable ESA choice. Similarly, if you are living in an urban area or shared housing, you cannot adopt a flock of chickens as your ESAs, though this could be acceptable in a house you are renting alone where there is ample access to the outdoors.
If you have any concerns about your ESA rights or ESA denials, brush up on the emotional support animal laws in your state and consult your mental healthcare provider for guidance.
Can I Have Multiple Emotional Support Animals for Anxiety?
It is possible to have multiple emotional support animals for your anxiety. However, every ESA you have must be approved by your licensed mental healthcare provider, and each animal must have its own ESA letter. Without ESA letter documentation for each animal, your companions may be considered pets and required to adhere to any pet restrictions or pet fees in your housing area.
Your therapist or other mental healthcare provider is the only person who can evaluate your need for one or more ESAs and provide you with the letter you need to ensure all of your emotional support animals are valid. You cannot use one ESA letter for multiple anxiety ESAs.
Obtaining an ESA for Anxiety
Emotional support animals are some of the best companions when it comes to helping individuals deal with anxiety. ESAs can provide comfort and support, encourage healthy routines, and give individuals with anxiety something to cuddle and spend time with when they need a boost of happy emotions.
If you think you could benefit from the addition of an emotional support animal for your anxiety, make an appointment with your therapist or another mental healthcare provider to discuss your options.