User:Nataliekwortnik/Emotional support animal

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An emotional support animal (ESA) is an animal that provides relief to individuals with “psychiatric disability through companionship.” Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, an emotional support animal encompasses animals from all species.

While service animals are trained to perform specific tasks such as helping a blind person navigate, an emotional support animal doesn't require any formal training to assist with the mitigation of mental health symptoms. Any animal that provides support, comfort, or aid, to an individual through companionship, unconditional positive regard, and affection may be regarded as an emotional support animal.

In the United States, people with psychiatric disabilities, who own an emotional support animal, may be exempt from federal housing and travel rules. To receive these exemptions, the handler must meet the federal definition of disabled, and the emotional support animal must help alleviate the symptoms or effects of the disability. Often, the individual will need to present a letter from their certified healthcare provider, stating that the emotional support animal is imperative to their mental health and there aren’t any alternatives.

Recent research studies have revealed a strong tie between emotional support animals and the improvement of psychiatric conditions. A majority of the participants in these studies mentioned gaining feelings of dependability and optimism from their emotional support animal.

 Scientific Evidence 

In a 2020 study, researchers found that 99.29% of individuals with an emotional support animal had heightened feelings of confidence and were compelled to participate in more physical activity. Researchers within this same study also noted that 98.95% of these individuals mentioned having "an increased zest for life." Additionally, the researchers found strong scientifc evidence supporting that emotional support animals enrich the handler's level of responsibility, motivate him or her to follow a strict exercise regimen, and produce feelings of inclusion.

Further 2020 research has shown that individuals with an emotional support animal during the COVID-19 pandemic often had "smaller decreases in decreases in mental health and smaller increases in loneliness" when compared with their non-ESA peers. Within the same study, researchers found no substantial difference between the various species of emotional support animals and the durability of the handler-animal bond.

In a 2018 review of 17 studies, researchers discovered a strong correlation between the ownership of an emotional animal and the alleviation of mental health symptoms. The study includes first hand accounts from participants who say something like, “sometimes if I talk to the cat, perhaps it like being in a confessional, I find I can address things that perhaps I wouldn’t have done normally if I hadn’t have had the cat to talk to.” The researchers summarize their findings by stating that these animals promote "a safe environment where people can talk without fear of being judged or being a burden to others." Also, the researchers noticed that emotional support animals foster immense affection and encourage their handler to go out into the world with more confidence and less anxiety.

A recent 2019 research study has found that emotional animals provide not only psychological advantages but enhance individuals social and physiological wellbeing. In the article, the author mentions that for an individual suffering from depression, the animal may motivate them to get up in the morning, transform their habits, and distract them from their negative feelings. In previous studies, emotional support animals have shown to dramatically reduce the handler's blood pressure levels and increase oxytocin and dopamine levels. As with individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and autism, researchers found that these emotional support animals lessened their aggressive outbreaks and heightened their sociability.