How Emotional Support Animals Can Drastically Reduce Anxiety and Depression Symptoms

While most people are familiar with service dogs that help their owners with practical tasks, they are not the only assistance animals that can drastically improve their owners’ quality of life. Without the need for formal training, emotional support animals provide vital comfort and companionship, helping their owners manage the symptoms of mental disorders like anxiety and depression. 

In recent years, the popularity of emotional support animals (ESAs) has been steadily growing, and mental health professionals are increasingly recommending them to their clients as a complementary or alternative anxiety treatment.

In this article, we’ll discuss some of the specific ways in which the presence of an emotional support animal can be life-changing for individuals living with anxiety disorders, depression, and other mental health conditions. 

1. ESAs Provide Consistent Emotional Companionship

Numerous research studies have identified links between loneliness, anxiety, and depression. These feelings can affect individuals of all ages and backgrounds, even those frequently surrounded by family, friends, and classmates. Loneliness and social isolation can be contributing factors to numerous mental health disorders, including major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. 

While the relationship between loneliness and mental health is undoubtedly complex, what is more straightforward are the numerous benefits of ESA ownership for reducing feelings of isolation. Emotional support animals, especially dogs and cats, can provide affection, companionship, and connection for individuals in various challenging situations. As sources of unconditional love, ESAs offer emotional support and constancy to their owners, regardless of what else is going on in their lives. 

2. Physical Contact Helps Regulate Emotions 

Sensory inputs can be a powerful tool to help regulate emotions, especially during episodes of heightened emotional responses. Stroking your cat’s soft fur or hugging your dog can be useful for anxiety relief and has been linked with lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. 

Research also indicates that your oxytocin level increases when you cuddle with a pet or emotional support animal. In addition to making you feel better, this “love” hormone may help strengthen your bond with your ESA. And there is growing evidence that the same is true for your dog—their oxytocin increases during positive interactions with their owners. 

Additionally, physical contact with an emotional support animal is a very mindful activity that can help people focus on a single sensation, making it easier to control their emotions and stress levels.  

3. ESAs Help Distract from Negative Thoughts

Looking after an emotional support animal, especially a dog or cat, is a significant responsibility, and it’s important to realize that they do not exist simply to entertain their owners. Although the decision to get an ESA should be given serious consideration, having an emotional support animal can be an excellent way to move away from negative thought spirals. 

For individuals with anxiety, it can be difficult to break out of the cycle of constant or obsessive worries. Yet if you have an emotional support animal, you have a constant source of distraction, whether this involves playing with them, going for a walk, or simply sitting and petting your ESA. 

Focusing on their basic needs, such as ensuring they have food, water, mental stimulation, and exercise, can shift the focus away from your thoughts and towards the tasks required of an ESA owner. 

4. Reduced Panic Attacks and Anxiety Episodes

For individuals with an anxiety or panic disorder, experiencing a panic attack can be terrifying and traumatic. Physical symptoms of panic attacks include shortness of breath, heart palpitations, shaking, sweating, and feeling like you may faint.

Living with an emotional support animal can be an effective way to reduce the severity of these anxiety episodes. Holding or petting your ESA during a panic attack can help slow your heart rate and regulate your breathing, gradually easing the tension and lessening your heightened emotions and stress. 

Dogs are naturally empathetic and attuned to their owner’s emotional state, so they may approach you when they detect signs of distress, providing a calming, stable presence that can help bring the panic attack to an end. However, if you suffer from recurring episodes of severe anxiety, you might consider getting your dog trained as a psychiatric service animal to ensure they respond quickly and helpfully during these episodes. 

5. Promoting a Routine and Structure

Having a familiar structure to the day can be helpful for people with various mental health challenges, including anxiety and depression. A healthy daily routine can also be a powerful preventative measure to protect your mental health or complement therapy and medications. An established routine can help reduce stress and anxiety so that you accomplish what needs to get done while also leaving room for the activities you enjoy and find meaningful.  If you’re struggling to establish a routine or manage your mental health, seeking depression counseling near me can provide valuable support and guidance.

An emotional support animal can significantly contribute to maintaining a structured daily routine. ESA ownership requires ensuring that your dog or cat is given sufficient food, water, exercise, and opportunities to play. The daily tasks involved in caring for an emotional support animal can be especially transformative in helping people with depression find a sense of purpose. Likewise, having a familiar and structured day can be a source of calm and stress relief for individuals coping with anxiety.

6. Encourages Physical Activity

Getting enough sleep, staying physically active, and eating a healthy diet are essential for everyone, but especially for individuals who struggle with their mental health. When you exercise, you experience benefits for both physical and mental wellness, including an elevated mood, better sleep, and even improved cognition. Other benefits may involve increased social interactions and improved self-esteem and confidence. Exercise can also be an excellent distraction from negative thoughts. 

Yet it can be very challenging for individuals grappling with depressive symptoms to find the motivation to exercise. Anxiety also presents serious barriers to a healthy, active lifestyle, as severe worries or thought spirals can interfere with even the best intentions to exercise. When you own an emotional support dog, however, you don’t have the option to debate whether or not to go outside. Your dog relies on you for their daily walk, and while it may be challenging to get out the door, you will both feel better when you do.   

7. Improves Social Interaction and Reduces Isolation

In addition to providing companionship, emotional support animals can serve as “social bridges” by encouraging people to interact with others. Walking your dog is an excellent way to come into contact with other people in a low-stakes social situation, helping to ease social anxiety and feelings of isolation. You are likely to find that the presence of your emotional support animal will spark pleasant conversations with other dog lovers.

Depending on the type of emotional support animal you own, you may be able to bring them to certain public places, including dog-friendly cafes and restaurants. Alternatively, if you have an emotional support animal letter from your doctor or a telehealth service like Pettable, your ESA may be able to accompany you to establishments that don’t typically allow pets. Make sure to ask permission from the owner or manager, even if you have a valid ESA letter. 

8. Reduces Reliance on Medication

Anxiety and depression treatment can take many forms, from counseling and stress management techniques to cognitive behavioral therapy and various medications. Commonly prescribed classes of medications for anxiety and depression include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and benzodiazepines. While these medications can dramatically ease anxiety and depression symptoms and improve your quality of life, they can also have serious side effects. 

Many licensed mental health professionals who prescribe anti-anxiety medications also suggest complementary therapies and treatments, including animal-assisted therapy. The presence of an emotional support animal can be a valuable tool to ease depression and anxiety symptoms, possibly reducing the need for certain treatment methods.

Although more research is needed on the topic, some evidence suggests that in certain cases, the presence of an assistance animal may reduce an individual’s reliance on medication to ease their symptoms. Notably, one survey of individuals with PTSD who were paired with service dogs found that 40% of respondents were able to decrease their medications, while an incredible 84% reported fewer symptoms.

9. Enhances Emotional Regulation and Self-Awareness

The presence of an ESA may help enhance emotional regulation for individuals struggling with their mental health. A dog or cat that is consistently available to provide support and comfort may help reduce the intensity of mood swings by helping people feel more grounded and self-aware. 

Dogs, cats, and other animals can assist with emotional regulation by providing a calm, soothing presence to counteract periods of emotional turbulence. This is especially important for individuals who experience strong, heightened reactions to challenging or stressful events but are able to return to emotional equilibrium by interacting with their ESA. 

10. Long-Term Impact on Mental Health

Although the long-term impact of emotional support animals for anxiety and depression is an ongoing focus of scientific research, many studies suggest that living with an assistance animal offers wide-ranging mental health benefits.

In addition to providing immediate support during acute events such as panic attacks or depressive episodes, the daily interactions between ESAs and their owners can help people develop important emotional and behavioral skills, such as increased resiliency and a more positive outlook. 

Although the bond between an ESA and its owner typically endures throughout the animal’s life, reliance on an emotional support animal may decrease as anxiety and depression symptoms ease and other relationships, interests, and activities take a more prominent role in bolstering mental health.

Conclusion

While owning an ESA should not be considered a “cure” for mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, phobias, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the comfort and companionship offered by emotional support animals can be integral to an individual’s treatment plan. The well-documented benefits of ESAs for anxiety and depression include promoting emotional regulation, providing a distraction from negative thoughts, and increasing physical activity and social interaction. 

However, the benefits of ESA ownership depend on the individual and their unique mental health needs. Owning an emotional support animal is a significant responsibility, so make sure to discuss potential ESA benefits and drawbacks with your doctor or a licensed mental health professional before making such a major commitment. 

Thanks to federal legislation like the Fair Housing Act, individuals with mental health conditions or emotional disabilities have the right to live with their assistance animals. 

If you want to live with your ESA in an apartment or condo with a “no pets” policy, consider requesting an emotional support animal letter from your doctor, therapist, or telehealth provider. Choosing the best ESA letter service is an important step to ensure that you can enjoy the benefits of having an emotional support animal without any unexpected complications.