How Emotional Support Animals Improve Mental Health
Anyone who has a pet can be the first to vouch for their unconditional love and affection. No matter your background, you can quickly fall in love with a cute and affectionate pet in a matter of seconds. Throughout recent years, licensed mental health professionals have started to recognise the benefits of emotional support animals. To make sure that the animals are well-behaved, they must first have to undergo the best online dog training courses.
Continue reading below to learn how having an emotional support animal can significantly improve the lives of their owners and anyone who meets them. If you’re considering getting an emotional support animal, it’s important to understand the process of obtaining this Texas Emotional Support Animal Letter, which plays a crucial role in recognizing the legitimacy of your furry companion.
What Is an Emotional Support Animal?
First, you need to know the primary role of an emotional support animal (ESA) to understand the mental health benefits our pets can bring. For starters, many confuse ESAs with service animals. However, the two are entirely different.
Service animals have specialised training to help someone with a unique disability. Emotional support animals typically don’t have any training and provide support for mental health conditions. As a result, they both have different rights.
When you register an emotional support animal, they can accompany you on flights and live in your residence, regardless of the pet limitations. For example, you can have your pet live with you without any additional charges or deposits.
How Emotional Support Animals Helps with Mental Health
According to the National Health Service, nearly 1 in 4 UK adults and 1 in 10 children struggle with a mental health condition. Naturally, mental health professionals are always looking for ways to improve the lives of their patients. Many therapists recognise the fantastic benefits ESAs can bring patients, such as:
Providing Comfort to Their Owners
People who struggle with mental health conditions often find it hard to stay comfortable in social settings. Not only does this cause unsettling emotions, but it can also hinder their chances of keeping a job, building relationships, or spending quality time with family.
ESAs have shown to increase comfort for those with:
⦁ PTSD
⦁ Depression
⦁ Anxiety
⦁ Severe phobias (notably “agoraphobia” or the fear of crowds)
Increase in Dopamine Levels
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that makes you feel happy, motivated, and optimistic. People with certain mental health conditions struggle to have sufficient dopamine levels, causing them to feel down, depressed, or apathetic.
Most people around pets get that immediate feeling of joy, which correlates to the effect animals have on dopamine levels. As a result, people with mental health problems can receive the dopamine they need whenever they’re with their ESA.
Providing a Sense of Purpose
Everyone needs a purpose in life. It’s what gets us out of bed every morning and allows us to complete all our essential tasks. However, finding a purpose in life is much easier to strive for than achieve. Without something to work for, we can find ourselves going through the motions without any sense of accomplishment.
Having an emotional support animal gives those with mental health conditions a reason to be around. While your ESA is there to help you, they also rely on you to give them the loving home they deserve. Having a pet is an excellent way to provide purpose in life, regardless of your background.
Wrapping Up
The knowledge of how emotional support animals benefit those with mental health conditions is still growing. However, there are already amazing insights into how these animals can bring joy and happiness to our daily lives. Not only are they cute and entertaining, but they can also be life-saving.
If you or a loved one is struggling with a mental health problem and is looking for a way to help them cope, consider informing them about the growing use of emotional support animals.