Taking A Look At The Connection Between Pet Ownership And Mental Health


For many people here in the United States, matters of mental health are a very real and often quite urgent concern. After all, mental health problems and various forms of mental illness are certainly far from uncommon here in the United States and even all around the world, with up to 40 million people – adults – currently diagnosed with an anxiety disorder of some type here in the United States alone. Rates of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) are also quite high, with more than seven and a half million people diagnosed with the condition, often a debilitating one, here in the United States.

And just about anyone can suffer from mental health related concerns, children and adults alike and people from all different backgrounds. As a matter of fact, one out of every seven children found throughout this country and who fall between the ages of two and eight have been diagnosed with some kind of mental disturbance. Such conditions range from mental illnesses to behavioral conditions to even various developmental disorders, but all can be hugely detrimental to the health of the child in question.

Fortunately, however, there are a number of treatment options for all patients living with a mental illness, no matter what age or background it is that they might come from. Talk therapy, for instance, is incredibly commonplace and can be hugely beneficial to all types of mental illnesses and mental illness sufferers. In addition to this, medication can sometimes also be utilized to help combat some of the more difficult symptoms of mental illnesses, alleviating at least some of the pain or discomfort that any given person is feeling as a result of their mental illness.

Of course, getting an emotional support animal can be a great way to coping with mental illness as well, especially when combine with regular talk therapy or even courses of medication. After all, it makes sense that pet ownership would make a difference in so many people’s lives, as nearly half of the entire population of the United States currently owns a dog, let alone looking at the numbers that represent other types of pet ownership here in the United States. Many people feel that their pets, from dogs to cats to even lizards and rodents, are very much a cherished part of the family, and many have found solace and connection in their pets for years.

Many of these pets can become emotional support animals when given the proper ESA pet training. ESA pet training is far less intensive than the training that is required for a dog to become a service dog but this ESA pet training can still be quite thorough and therefore it is important to understand that ESA pet training will not necessarily be ideal for every single animal out there. But when an animal is able to go through ESA pet training, it can be hugely beneficial for treating a wide variety of mental health concerns, from social anxiety disorder to PTSD to even depression, given the release of serotonin that have an animal that has gone through the necessary ESA pet training can provide.

And there are certainly benefits to having the rights of ESA owners with an animal that has gone through the required training and have been certified as an emotional support animal. For instance, a pet with ESA pet training and certification is required to be allowed in any housing space, no matter whether or not pets are usually allowed. Emotional support animals can also accompany their owners on airplanes, something that is also hugely beneficial, as flying can be a great fear for many people, particularly those that suffer from an anxiety disorder. No matter why you have an animal that has gone through the required ESA pet training and become registered and certified emotional support animal, there is certainly no doubting the fact that such an animal can provide a huge benefits to the life of any mental illness sufferer here in the United States and likely in many places beyond it as well.


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