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Psychiatric assistance dog

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A psychiatric service dog is a specific type of service dog trained to assist their handler with a psychiatric disability, such as major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, autism, anxiety disorders, or schizophrenia.

Training

Like all assistance dogs, a psychiatric service dog is "...individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability..." (reference: 28 CFR 36.104)

  • Reminding the handler to take medication at certain times of the day
  • Waking the handler if they sleep through alarms or otherwise cannot get themselves out of bed
  • Alerting to 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
  • Assisting a handler with environmental assessment (i.e., reality-testing for feelings of fear and paranoia)
  • Assisting a handler with hallucination discernment or environmental assessment (i.e., reality-testing for feelings of fear and paranoia)
  • Assisting a handler with Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia to safely leave her home or to lead her out of a triggering situation.
  • Interrupting repetitive or self-injurious behaviors
  • Carrying identification in case of dissociative episodes or fugue states
  • Leading a handler out of a crowd during a panic attack, fugue state, or dissociative episode
  • Aiding with mobility when the handler is dizzy from medication or has psychosomatic (physical) symptoms
  • Providing exclusive focus and tactile stimulation when a handler requires it in order to mitigate symptoms

Psychiatric service dogs may be of any breed or size suitable for public work. The majority of psychiatric service dogs are owner-trained often with the help of a professional trainer. Assistance dog organizations are increasingly recognizing the need for dogs to help individuals with psychiatric disabilities.

Accessibility

In the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act defines a person with a disability as one who has "...a mental or physical impairment which substantially limits a major life activities..." (reference: http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/ada.html) and therefore allows handlers of psychiatric service dogs the same rights and protections afforded to those with other types of assistance dogs. Some individual state laws also provide additional guidelines or protection.

See also