Could pets be a prescription in the treatment of depression?

Question

Please explain with sources, if possible.

Answer

Yes.
Emotional Support Animals (ESA)
An emotional support animal (ESA) is an animal that has been prescribed for a person by his/her licensed therapist (a licensed mental health professional) in a properly formatted letter. This letter should state that the person is determined to be emotionally or psychiatrically disabled and that the presence of the animal is necessary for the disabled person's mental health. 
(From the national service animal registry)

Answer

Sure! Other things as well. The Lutheran comfort dogs do great work with those dealing with PTSD and trauma from recent disasters. 
Here’s my source, just look at these precious faces. Doesn’t everyone already feel just a little better seeing them?

Answer

Emotional Support Animals. They are prescribed by your mental health provider as part of your treatment plan. All you need is a note from your doctor. Don't fall for scam sites saying they need to be registered. Registry sites may look legit, but there is no legal necessity. Also note that ESAs are not the same thing as Service Dogs. They do not have Public Access rights. ESAs do not need to be trained to perform a task, they are there for comfort and emotional support. If anyone is looking for a good source of information on ESAs check out servicedogcentral.org

Answer

Not always. It can exasperate depression in  some. Especially the ones who have severe depression and can’t take care of them self let alone have another life to look after with different sets of responsibilities. 
And JUST pets as a prescription? No. But it can help.. tremendously.  But animals aren’t a cure for depression.

Answer

Everyone is mentioning ESAs which is awesome, but can we talk about there not being a way to actually register them and track their authenticity of being “prescribed?” Right now there’s no national registry recognized, any site that “registers” your animal is just there to steal your money and give you falsified documents. The only “proof” your animal is an ESA is if you have an ESA Letter from your therapist. People are taking to these registry sites and registering fruit and Nutella jars to prove they’re fake registries and not authentic but all most people see is, “if I pay $X and register my animal I can take it anywhere with me and move into any housing without having to get rid of my animal!” So while I love the idea of “prescribing” ESA animals to help with depression and other mental illnesses, I think it needs to be able to be regulated and people not so easily taken advantage of.

Answer

My therapist approved my dog to be an ESA for my ptsd

Answer

Yes they are. It’s called an ESA or emotional support animal.

Answer

You can register a animal for a support animal I did with my dog cause it helps some might not believe it but I’m a very strong believer that pets can help

Answer

Therapy / emotional support animals work for a lot of people

Answer

I would assume so. They're just so innocent. I feel 50times better when I'm snuggling with my aunts cats. I cannot wait until I am able to pick our new kitten out. 
Here's some of the babes. Dogs Maggie, Pepper, Bart and Lisa are missing and Pipsqueak the cat is missing from pics.

Sophie AKA Sofa as my boys call her lol

Bryce and Harley

KitKat

Pipsqueak is missing.

Could pets be a prescription in the treatment of depression?

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