What are the Benefits of Emotional Support Animals

If you struggle with a mental health disability—such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, or any other psychological disorder—you might qualify for an emotional support animal (ESA). However, you might still be skeptical about the you stand to enjoy once you acquire one.

An ESA provides ultimate comfort, love, and support, thereby helping you manage symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses you may be suffering from. These furry friends are easy to stay with, and they offer so much joy and unconditional love, to the extent of warming even the toughest person's heart.

To enjoy the emotional support animal's benefits, you must have an ESA letter, which acts as proof that you're genuinely receiving support from a pet for managing your mental health — this is where DoNotPay becomes useful. Alongside helping you to get more acquainted with ESA's benefits, we'll also help you to solve all your ESA-related concerns.

What is an Emotional Support Animal?

An emotional support animal denotes an animal given by a licensed mental health professional (LMHP) to help treat clients diagnosed with mental health problems. Emotional support animals can be cats, snakes, fish, birds, and gerbils; they are not limited to dogs only.

Emotional support animals provide support to their owners by dealing with panic disorders, depression, and phobia. They provide relief and comfort to their owners by showing them unconditional love and a sense of purpose, boosting their self-esteem.

What Is an ESA Letter?

An emotional support animal letter refers to a legal document distinguishing an assistance animal from a pet. This letter proves that you have got a mental and emotional disability that your emotional support animal can help treat. The ESA's have legal cover, and there are federal laws that give them privileges and certain rights.

Who Can Write an ESA Letter?

An authorized professional can prescribe an emotional support animal letter. Licensed mental health professionals can write down an ESA letter stating that it's part of your treatment plan. The list of people who can write an ESA letter includes:

A physician from a primary care
A therapist who is licensed
Licensed general physician
Licensed mental health professional (psychologist or psychiatrist)

How to Request for An Emotional Support Animal on Your Own

Here are some steps on how to ask for an emotional support animal:

Plan for an appointment
Discuss the symptoms that you might be facing
Let the doctor make recommendations
Get some recommendations for LMHP
Allow the LMHP to communicate with your doctor
Have the letter of recommendation for an emotional support animal
Pay for the letter
Choose your emotional support animal, or you can use your own pet

Benefits of an Emotional Support Animal

Emotional support animals can be quite beneficial to you if you're a disabled person. They offer you reassurance and companionship. Here are a few of the many :

Emotional Support Animal Benefit	Explanation
Relieves anxiety	The presence of an ESA provides comfort and creates an elevated mood helping one deal with their anxiety.
Relieves feelings of loneliness	Individuals who live alone and experience anxiety and depression symptoms can get emotional support from ESAs.
Relieves stress	Pets provide unconditional love to their owners. They are unable to yell or do things that may stress you. This can give you a sense of confidence and reduce your risk of depression or anxiety.
Standardizes your schedule	Since ESAs need their own schedule for walks, eating, and more, it helps the ESA owner develop a more structured schedule to their own day.

How to Get an Emotional Support Animal by Yourself

Here are the steps to help you get an emotional support animal, so that you can enjoy all the full benefits that come with owning one.

Determine whether you will benefit from an emotional support animal
Get to connect with the licensed mental health support professional in your network
If you don't have a pet currently, you can choose the type of animal to adopt
Train your ESA to be a respectable citizen
Use your ESA letter appropriately

Here's How DoNotPay Can Help

Through our new Service and Emotional Support Animals product, DoNotPay can help you with all of your ESA-related concerns, including finding the most affordable online ESA letter service, contacting your landlord about your ESA, asking airlines about their accommodation options.

Search "service animal" on DoNotPay.
Select the type of issue you need help with, including contacting your landlord about your ESA/service animal, asking your airline about ESA options, or requesting ESA/service accommodations at other venues.
Answer a series of questions concerning your current situation and the details of your ESA/service animal, so we can generate the best results for you.

You would need an ESA letter so you can bring your emotional support animal to live with you in a building with a “no pets” policy. If you need to travel, DoNotPay will secure an ESA letter for you so you can arrange accommodations with Southwest, American Airlines, and United Airlines, and other airlines.

Why Use DoNotPay to Solve All Your ESA-Related Concerns

Are you still wondering why you should choose DoNotPay to solve all your ESA-related concerns? DoNotPay is:

Fast. You don't have to devote several hours trying to solve all your ESA-related concerns.
Easy. You won't be required to fill out tedious forms or keep track of all the steps involved in solving all your ESA-related concerns.
Successful. You can relax knowing that we'll make the best case for you.