Psychiatric Service Dogs

[maycontainnuts]

I was wondering if any of you had heard about service dogs for people with psychiatric disabilities?

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[Anasazi23]

Like for blind people?

No, not in that sense.

 

[maycontainnuts]

Psychiatric service dogs can help people who have a psychiatric disability by performing tasks such as waking them up in the morning, reminding them to take their medications, interupting repetitive behaviors, giving tactile alert to compulsive skin picking or trichotillomania, and more. Service dogs have helped some people who suffer from conditions such as agoraphobia or post traumatic stress disorder to get back out into the world again.

"Lance helps patient function well despite panic disorder":

http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/36/3/17-a

"Use of a psychiatric service dog":

http://ps.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/54/1/110-a


How does a dog qualify to be a psychiatric service dog?

Service dog tasks for pyschiatric disabilities

Psychiatric Service Dog Society

About psychiatric service dogs

Service dogs for bipolar disorder

 

[Poety]

I've seen dogs used for people with seizure disorder - and it works wonderfully.

 

[Anasazi23]

From one of the Psychiatric Services Journal that was linked:

"Eventually Ms. W realized that her dog butted her only when she was irritable and fixated on the computer—in other words, in a manic state."


Sounds familiar...

I've seen stuff on the service dogs for seizure disorders, and it's interesting how they link it to bipolar with a similar mechanism. Makes sense in a way.

Very cool links...thanks.

 

[Milo]

I want a therapy monkey.

 

[Anasazi23]

I want a therapy monkey.

Here you go.

 

[Poety]

From one of the Psychiatric Services Journal that was linked:

"Eventually Ms. W realized that her dog butted her only when she was irritable and fixated on the computer—in other words, in a manic state."


Sounds familiar...

I've seen stuff on the service dogs for seizure disorders, and it's interesting how they link it to bipolar with a similar mechanism. Makes sense in a way.

Very cool links...thanks.

are we manic today dear?

 

[Milo]

Here you go.

Thanks! I think I'll call him Dr. Itchy