Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States, affecting 40 million adults in the country annually. In this regard, individuals acquire emotional support animals (ESAs) to offer support, comfort, aid, and well-being. Additionally, ESAs are essential in the management of mental illnesses through the providence of companionship and unconditional positive regard. Here are details about emotional support animals and regulations governing their acquisition.
1. How Can Emotional Support Animals Help with Depression?
Despite the several clinical ways to treat depression, the help of emotional support animals has been successful in many depression instances. Individuals with various mental conditions, including depression, can use emotional support animals for treating depression. Animals possess outstanding abilities that are vital for lifting the spirits of individuals. In this regard, their presence serves as essential sources of companionships for people with depression.
Additionally, physicians recommend emotional support animals for treating depression because they instill a sense of purpose to depressed individuals. Possessing a pet means that you will engage in a variety of activities, including feeding, walking, and grooming. Through this, the focus is taken away from an individual’s problems and redirected to the animal.
2. How Emotional Support Animals Can Stimulate Healthy Lifestyle Changes
It is evident that a healthy lifestyle can help ease symptoms of depression, stress, and anxiety. How do you adopt a healthy lifestyle? It is quite straightforward. One of the ways involves acquiring a pet.
Usually, pets alter lifestyles by increasing exercise. Upon the acquisition of a pet such as a dog, your routine changes to incorporate elements such as running, walking, and hiking. Recent studies indicate that dog owners meet their routine exercise requirements. In this regard, pets serve as emotional support animals for treating depression given the healthy lifestyle associated with them.
Pets can serve as emotional support animals for treating depression by minimizing anxiety. Usually, the companionship of animals provides comfort, which is necessary for building confidence. In this regard, ESAs facilitate living in the moment, thus helping depressed people become mindful of happiness of the present.
3. ESAs for Depression: What You Should Know About their Acquisition
Dogs are often regarded as the best pets for depression and emotional support. As a growing concern, their acquisition follows certain procedures.
In the United States, the Fair Housing Amendment Act and Air Carrier Access Act require the meeting of certain criteria before entitlement to emotional support animals for treating depression. Upon the meeting of the requirements, individuals with emotional support animals are allowed to have the animals with them, regardless of no-pet policies.
Additionally, animal owners should possess medical certificates and letters illustrating professional recommendation for emotional support animals. For dogs, they should wear a collar or vest for identification as emotional support
animals.
4. How to Get an Emotional Support Animal Letter
If you are ready to own certified emotional support animals, you should understand the following guideline for acquiring an ESA prescription letter.
First, you should know authorized personnel who write emotional support animal letters. However, to be legible for an ESA, you must be diagnosed with an emotional or mental disorder. Usually, professional therapists and psychologists perform the diagnosis. After that, you can now apply for an esa letter online.
Usually, online ESA letter sites utilize multiple tactics to enhance the virtual experience. When obtaining the ESA letter online, you should ensure that the online organization adheres to verified laws surrounding esa ownership.
5. What Animal Housing Policies Boost the Welfare of ESAs?
Animal housing policies provide multiple benefits of certification of emotional support animals. First, landlords are not allowed to impose size, breed, and weight limitations on emotional support animals.
Additionally, landlords are permitted to deny ESAs if their accommodation will impose great financial burdens. However, if you are ready to acquire reasonable accommodations, you should understand the different tips for renting apartments. Usually, most pet-friendly housing charges a separate pet deposit, which is often between 40% and 85% of the rent on average.
6. Animal Travel Legislation for Emotional Support Animals
The Air Carrier Access Act states that you can fly with your pet inside the airplane cabin. In 2015, a major airline carried more than 24,000 emotional support animals, according to the International Air Travel Association.
