Patient Asks You to Certify Emotional Support Animal: What Should You Do?

Multiple studies show the mental health benefits of pet ownership. What ’s less clear from a small number of studies is the clinical benefits that emotional support animals offer for patients with psychiatric symptoms. Anarticle inPsychiatric Services explores several factors psychiatrists should consider when asked by patients to write certification letters designating their pets as emotional support animals.“ESAs [emotional support animals] are different from service animals and other disability-related assistance animals,” wrote past APA president Reneé Binder, M.D., of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues. Emotional support animals can be “animals of any species that all eviate symptoms of a person’s psychiatric disability through their companionship or presence but do not perform a specific task [as service animals do].” Also, unlike service animals, these animals are not protected by the Americans With Disabilities Act, but are regulated by various federal, st ate, and local laws, Binder and colleagues noted.The authors described language in the following federal laws regarding emotional support animals:Americans With Disabilities ActFair Housing ActAir Carrier Access ActIndividuals With Disabilities Act“Although federal statutes set minimum requirements protecting individuals with disabilities, state or local policies can require additional accommodations for people with disabilities,” the authors continued. “When assessing a p...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Americans With Disabilities Act certification emotional support animal ESA federal law Psychiatric Services psychiatrists Renee Binder state law Source Type: research