What Conditions Can Service Animals Help With?

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Service animals can help post-traumatic stress disorder patients manage the symptoms of their condition. One problem that sometimes arises, however, is a service animal for PTSD being mislabeled as an emotional support animal. Emotional support animals, while they are beneficial to many, don't have protections under the ADA and can't be brought into certain public spaces like licensed service animals. The difference between a service dog and an emotional support dog is an emotional support dog only provides emotional support, while service dogs are specifically trained in the mitigation of disability. Psychiatric service dogs are just as legitimate and protected as any other service dog. Service dogs for post-traumatic stress disorder patients can perform a variety of different tasks. They may retrieve necessary medication, use tactile intervention when their handler is experiencing sensory overload, ground their handler during a flashback, guide their handler safely home when they have a dissociative episode, search the home for dangers to alleviate feelings of fear, and waking up the handler or turning on the lights if their handler is having a night terror or nightmare.

Learn more about what service animals can help individuals with now.