Yes, emotional support animals help with anxiety. Their scent, touch, engagement, and other interactions have been proven to help owners function in their day-to-day lives regardless of age, as you can see in this study on the elderly and this one with children.
And the studies go back decades, like this one from the American Psychiatric Association, where they studied the effects of animal-assisted therapy on hospitalized patients with mental disorders and showed a significant reduction in anxiety levels post-exposure.
Because severe anxiety can be covered under the Fair Housing Act, you can legally live in apartments, dorms, and housing with no pets rules as long as you have a valid ESA letter from a licensed medical health professional, and that is up to date. Emotional support animals can be dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, fish, and other small domesticated household animals.
Now that you know emotional support animals do, in fact, help with anxiety, and that your housing rights are protected by the law, we’ll explain how they help. And we’ll show some ways you can try to reduce your own anxiety with an ESA.
Here’s a list of common anxiety symptoms from the World Health Organization that an ESA might be able to help you with:
- Trouble concentrating and making decisions.
- Feeling impending doom, danger, or panic.
- Being irritable or tense without explanation.
- Issues falling asleep.
- Sweating, shaking, and trembling for no apparent reason.
These can be brought on by any number of causes, from needing to attend a social event to work, having to leave your home, or just daily life. Here are some things you can do with your ESA to alleviate your anxiety. Just make sure you’re running them by your licensed healthcare provider and get their input, as everyone is unique and they know your history best.
- Pet your dog, cat, or other pettable animal for 10 to 15 minutes. This study has shown that 10 minutes is enough time to alleviate some of the anxiety symptoms.
- Scents and aromatherapy can reduce the symptoms of anxiety, and familiar scents have been shown to help stabilize moods when shifts happen because of stress. Although stress is a different disorder, the symptoms are similar, so you may want to try encouraging your emotional support animal to sit with you during the workday to reduce anxiety levels. Their smell and presence may help reduce irritability and agitation, which come in handy when work is piling up.
- To relieve impulsiveness and irritability, a combination of napping for 20 to 30 minutes may reduce these symptoms, according to this medically reviewed post by the University of Rochester. The added scent and tactile benefits of your emotional support animal may help calm down to get you to sleep.
- When you need to focus but anxiety prevents it, emotional support fish may be a solution. The NIH has concluded that watching fish can reduce some of the symptoms of anxiety. Even if it doesn’t slow your heart rate, the calming effect may help you regain focus so you can concentrate and make decisions again.
There’s never going to be a one-size-fits-all solution for alleviating anxiety, but one thing is clear: emotional support animals can help reduce some of the symptoms, which is why therapists and other licensed health professionals write ESA letters as a natural remedy.
Start the ESA questionnaire to see if you qualify for an Emotional Support Animal.
Get the Love and Support you deserve.
What recourse does a landlord have when the very large and untrained emotional support animal causes significant damage to their property?
ESA owners are always responsible for any damage that their animal might cause to the property.
My question is regarding an ESA in a house that you own yourself in a town with an ordinance against that particular animal. Can a town make you move or get rid of your ESA if there is a city ordinance against that animal? It’s so difficult to sell a home and move within 30 days!
This is a bit of a tricky issue, you may find this link helpful: https://www.animallaw.info/article/faqs-emotional-support-animals#s19
How do you ask a doctor for a prescription without sounding like you just want free pet rent?. How do you bring up the matter to your new psychologist?
To clarify, an ESA recommendation is not a “prescription”, and therapists are usually the ones that issue them, not physicians. You shouldn’t be afraid to have an open and honest conversation about your mental health needs with a licensed professional. Many ESA owners have a fear that people will think they are just faking their need for an ESA to avoid fees or rules. That is an unfortunate result of the stigma surrounding ESAs and mental health issues. If you are looking for a licensed professional that is familiar with ESAs and understanding about mental health issues, we can help you get started here: https://esadoctors.com/esa-questionnaire/
How do I ask my doctor for a prescription for 2 EsA’s without sounding like I gust don’t want to pay dog rent. I believe I have anxiety. I have one small dog I am already paying for at my apartment but she only comforts me when I feel alone and sad. My other dog is bigger and she makes me feel safe at night. I’m very parinoid at night alone and I need her but she is too big for the regular apartment.
It’s always a good idea to be open and honest about your mental health needs. Your doctor will make their own assessment and determine whether an ESA recommendation is right for you.
Can you have 2 ESAs? For example, 2 cats? And are you able to bring them to college for when i live on campus?
Yes, you are allowed to have more than 1 ESA as long as each ESA is covered by a recommendation from a licensed professional. Most colleges have policies regarding assistance animals, it’s best to check to see what your school’s specific policy is. Generally though, ESAs are not allowed on campus without restriction. They are often however allowed in campus housing.
I’ve been considering getting a pet for this but need to figure out what would be best. I have a cat, not suitable for the role, and she will not allow a new cat in. I also have a dog that’s not suitable either and does not do well with other dogs, cats, birds or reptiles entering her home. I had a dog who was perfect and she knew when I was getting upset and comforted me but she passed away which is why I’m considering a new one. I don’t have a question, I just wanted to thank you for this article and speak about Dixie, I miss her so!
Hey my name is star. I have a learning disability and bad anxiety. Can it help me.
Possibly. You would need to first be assessed by a licensed mental health professional who would determine whether an ESA could help you.
Can it be a pet rat?
Yes!
I suffer from anxiety and my fur baby comfort me when I have an attacking. Can he be a service animal since he play a big part in helping me to over come my anxiety. My doctor have wrote on my letter that I benefit from having him with me. He performs the service of calming down.
What dog is best as an ESA for anxiety?
The answer to this can vary from person to person. It is best to find an animal that has a energy level as yourself.