Psychiatric assistance dog: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Revision as of 00:37, 28 December 2006

Psychiatric Service Dogs, also called "medical alert dogs" or "medical response dogs," are a specific type of service dog that help their handler with a psychiatric disability such as Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Autism, Anxiety Disorders, and Schizophrenia.

Like all assistance dogs, a psychiatric service dog helps its handler mitigate her disability by doing work or performing tasks, including, but not limited to:

Medication reminders at specific times of the day
Alerting incipient episodes such as significant mood shifts, panic attacks, or dissociative episodes
Responding to an episode in a manner that is adaptive for the handler
Waking the handler if she sleeps through alarms or cannot otherwise get herself out of bed
Assisting a handler with hallucination discernment
Assisting a handler so that she may more accurately assess her environment (this is a form of reality-testing)
Interrupting a handler's repetitive or self-injurious behaviors
Assisting a handler with Panic Disorder w/Agoraphobia to safely leave her home
Carrying a handler's identification in case of dissociative episodes or fugue states
Providing exclusive focus and tactile stimulation when a handler requires it in order to mitigate symptoms
Aiding with mobility when the handler is dizzy from medication or has psychosomatic (physical) symptoms

Psychiatric service dogs may be of any breed suited for public work. Many are trained by the person who will become the dog's handler with or without the help of a professional trainer. However, assistance dog organizations are increasingly recognizing the need for dogs to help individuals with psychiatric disabilities.

In the United States, federal and state laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, allow handlers of psychiatric service dogs the same rights and protections afforded to those with other types of assistance dogs.

External links

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 '''Psychiatric Service Dogs''', also called "medical alert dogs" or "medical response dogs," are a specific type of [[service dog]] that help their handler with a psychiatric [[disability]] such as [[Major Depressive Disorder]], [[Bipolar disorder]], [[Post Traumatic Stress Disorder]], [[Autism]], [[Anxiety Disorder]]s, and [[Schizophrenia]].
-Like all [[assistance dogs]], a psychiatric service dog helps its handler mitigate his disability by doing work or performing tasks, including, but not limited to:
+Like all [[assistance dogs]], a psychiatric service dog helps its handler mitigate her disability by doing work or performing tasks, including, but not limited to:
+* Medication reminders at specific times of the day
-* Picking up or retrieving objects
+* Alerting incipient episodes such as significant mood shifts, panic attacks, or dissociative episodes
+* Responding to an episode in a manner that is adaptive for the handler
+* Waking the handler if she sleeps through alarms or cannot otherwise get herself out of bed
+* Assisting a handler with hallucination discernment
+* Assisting a handler so that she may more accurately assess her environment (this is a form of reality-testing)
+* Interrupting a handler's repetitive or self-injurious behaviors
+* Assisting a handler with Panic Disorder w/Agoraphobia to safely leave her home
+* Carrying a handler's identification in case of dissociative episodes or fugue states
+* Providing exclusive focus and tactile stimulation when a handler requires it in order to mitigate symptoms
 * Aiding with [[mobility]] when the handler is dizzy from medication or has psychosomatic (physical) symptoms
-* Waking the handler if they sleep through alarms or cannot get themselves out of bed
-* Alerting to and/or responding to episodes such as mood changes, panic attacks, and oncoming anxiety
-* Distracting the handler from repetitive or obsessive behaviors
-* Activating a medical alert device or pre-programmed phone for assistance
-* Carrying information regarding the dog and their handler's disability in their [[cape (dog)|jacket or backpack]]
-* Providing companionship, affection, or a source of "reality-check."
 Psychiatric service dogs may be of any [[dog breed|breed]] suited for public work. Many are trained by the person who will become the dog's handler with or without the help of a professional trainer. However, assistance dog organizations are increasingly recognizing the need for dogs to help individuals with psychiatric disabilities.