Psychiatric service dog
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 his disability by doing work or performing tasks, including, but not limited to:
- Picking up or retrieving objects
- 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 jacket or backpack
- Providing companionship, affection, or a source of "reality-check."
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.
