Emotional Support Animal Registration Process
An Emotional Support Animal (ESA) is any pet or animal that can provide therapeutic and emotional benefit to a person experiencing any kind of psychiatric disability, anxiety, or emotional disorder. ESAs do have some public access rights, such as housing with anti-pet policies (cannot be charged pet deposit), flying in an airplane cabin with no extra charges, and visiting public places that do not allow most pets in general.
The Fair Housing Authority permits emotional support animals to reside in places even in presence of a no-pets policy. Similarly, airlines also allow emotionally disabled owners to fly with their ESA in an airplane, provided they keep their animal in control. Only certain types of emotional support animals are allowed to travel in the airline cabin or travel for free, so make sure you check with the airline prior to travel for their precise rules regarding ESAs.
How to Register Your ESA
According to the National Institute of mental health, on average, one of four American adults have some type of mental disability. If you are part of this group, you can easily register and qualify for an ESA. However, to do this, it is recommended you first discuss with your doctor who will be better able to educate you about the topic.
Be especially wary of online sites promising you a quick and easy ESA letter since most of them are frauds and will fail you at one point or another. The best way to go here is to get an ESA letter from a doctor or a licensed mental health professional, which will authenticate that you have an emotional disability and that an emotional support animal will help alleviate your symptoms and bring you therapeutic benefits.
How Do You Quality For Registration
If you have any of the following mental conditions, you can easily qualify to register an ESA:
- Social Anxiety Disorder
- Phobias and fears
- Postpartum depression
- Panic Disorder
- Impulse-Control Disorders
- General Anxiety Disorder
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- PTSD- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Bipolar Disorder
- Seasonal Affective Disorder
- Separation anxiety
- Eating Disorders
- Dissociative Disorders
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Mood Disorders
- Personality Disorders
- Psychotic Disorders
- Sleep disorders
- Somatoform Disorders
- Substance Related Disorders
- Gender and sexual Identity Disorders
Components of an ESA Letter
An ESA letter should contain a few crucial details that will let the recipient know that you are
- A current patient of the mental health expert who verified your emotional disability
- You are under the same mental health professional’s treatment & care of your disorder, which is explained in which is explained in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) of Mental Disorders Version IV or V
- Relatively limited in participating or performing in at least one of the day-to-day activities due to your disability
- Being recommended an Emotional Support Animal as an important part of your present disability’s treatment
Why Should You Get An Emotional Support Animal?
Keep in mind that registering your ESA is voluntary, not mandatory. However, when your register your pet as an ESA, you are not only legitimizing your pet, but also eliminating almost all the inconveniences and confrontation that you may encounter without it.
Benefits of an Therapy Animal
ESAs not only offer constant companionship and unconditional love to their owners, but recent studies show they can be especially beneficial for your overall health, since they help
- Lower stress levels
- Lower blood pressure
- Increase physical activity
- Build relationships by encouraging socialization
- Curb loneliness and boredom