Many people grew up with beloved pets and cherish their memories of these animals. Often household pets are mourned deeply when they pass and celebrated as equal members of a family. Every one of these people will most likely attest that their animal provided them comfort, love, and possibly more. Knowing that animals bring these types of bond and feelings, how might an animal assist someone struggling with anxiety, or another psychiatric disorder? Support animals have been widely used to assist many with disabilities such as blindness and in recent years they have been offered to support people suffering from mental disorders or brain injuries. What does an animal offer to …show more content…
In order to know this, one needs to know what type of support animal is best suited, how they are trained, and what effects they have or what do these animals provide. Support animals offer therapeutic effects to many suffering from PTSD, depression, or other types of disorders.
There are two types of support animals that provide support and each offer different types of assistance: an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) and a Service Animal (SA). There is currently a lot of debate on the use and legal issues surrounding ESAs and the what the definition of a SA should be. An ESA is any animal that has been deemed as one providing some type of emotional support to an individual, often their pet. An individual can have an animal certified and registered through different services and registries via the Internet. In order to be certified or registered the individual must have a letter from a psychologist stating that they have a disability that requires the use of the animal for support. There is no special training required, legally