Mental health illness is common today. It's been estimated that 25% Americans live with it. Dpression, anxiety, bipolar, disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) are the well-known metal health illnesses.

There's a natural alternatives treatment plan that use of assistance animals to help those who live with metal health illness turning to healthy. Psychiatric Service Dog is such an assistance animal.

What is a Psychiatric Service Dog?

A Psychiatric Service Dog is a type of service dog but is trained to perform specific task for people with psychiatric disabilities or mental illness, such as PTSD, bipolar disorder. Unlike other service dog, Psychiatric Service Dog helps people with unseen, unnoticeable disabilities.

For example, if you walk in a crowd, and you feel stressed, a Psychiatric Service Dog can lead you away from the place under your orders and offer deep pressure therapy to minimize your panic attack.

What does a Psychiatric Service Dog do?

In order to maintain the handler’s emotional state, a service dog has been trained for many tasks including:

• Wake up his/her person
• Provide tactile stimulation
• Facilitate social interactions and reduce fears associated with being around people
• Serve as a buffer to help the person cope with being in a crowd
• Help the person calm down when agitated
• Wake up a person having nightmares
• Grounding a person dealing with fears and anxiety and helping him/her get back to the here & now
• Help create a safe personal space
• Get medication and water when the person cannot
• Get help
• Provide balance assistance
• Remind a person to take medication and nag until it’s done
• Disrupt emotional overload.

What conditions Psychiatric Service Dog can help with?

Some of the most common mental health conditions that may necessitate the assistance of a PSD include:

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Depression
• Anxiety Disorders
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders
• Bipolar Disorders
• Social Phobias
• Schizophrenia
• Agoraphobia
• Claustrophobia
• Panic Disorders
• Autism

Where can Psychiatric Service Dog go?

According to federal law, psychiatric service dogs have access to public places. Owners can experience panic attacks anytime, anywhere, which would cause dizziness or aggravate the illness if no immediate treatment is given. This can be life-threatening if the sufferer is alone at home or in a crowded public place. Plus, lots of factors could cause panic in public, such as a corner, a public speech or an elevator.

Service dogs are trained to accompany along the owner without distraction and to carry out tasks at any location. They have the following public access rights:

• Enter an airport and fly with the owner in the cabin without any additional fees.
• Accompany the owner in public places where pets are usually rejected, including businesses, government agencies, hospitals, hotels, schools, stores, banks, and other service providers.
• Psychiatric service dogs can also live with the owners in an accommodation with “No Pets” rules. The pet policy of the building is not applied to service dogs.

However, service dogs may be evicted from those places if they display unruly and disobedient behavior that disturbs or threatens others.

How to register a psychiatric service dog?

Registering a service dog might be regarded as an unnecessary process as many accessible places for service dogs cannot force you to display documentation that shows that your service dog is fully trained.

However, sometimes the identification of the service dog, including identity card, certificate, bandana, vest, and collar, might be additional and visible evidence when you take your service dog with you in public areas. Therefore, there are certain advantages to registering your service helper in a reputable organization.

How to Verifying a Psychiatric Service Dog?

According to the ADA, the staff of an establishment can legally ask the following questions:

1. Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
2. What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

No one has the right to ask you to identify your specific disability or ask that your pet demonstrate their skill.

As previously mentioned, the DOT gives airlines the right to also request further certifications when flying with your pet. Make sure you follow all requirements and provide these certifications beforehand, as to allow for more stress-free travel.

While not a requirement, it can also be helpful to fit your animal with a service dog vest, service dog harness, or service dog ID card.