Service Dog for Depression: A Complete Guide (2023)

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) close to 21 million people were reported to be suffering from depression in 2020, affecting the quality of their daily life. To counteract the effects of depression, many take a multi-faceted approach to treatment, incorporating elements into life that encourage positivity and help stabilize mindset, such as a psychiatric service dog. Psychiatric service dogs, or PSDs, can effectively be used to treat symptoms of depression by inspiring purpose and encouraging a sense of physical and mental health in their handler. Additionally, psychiatric service dogs can also be trained to perform specific tasks related to their handler’s symptoms, such as deep pressure therapy. 

What is a Psychiatric Service Dog?

A psychiatric service dog is a dog that is professionally trained to offer assistance and support to people with specific needs related to mental health. These dogs undergo special training to recognize and interrupt harmful behavior, offer emotional support, encourage healthy activities and get help when their human is in danger.

Psychiatric service animals are considered a form of animal therapy, a type of treatment in which the company of highly intelligent and empathetic animals is used to help those experiencing some form of mental illness. 

How to Qualify for a Psychiatric Service Dog

Qualifying for a psychiatric service dog means that the patient is struggling with some form of mental illness. This means that you have been diagnosed with some form of mental disorder by a licensed mental health professional. These disorders may include, but are not limited to:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• PTSD
• Stress
• Personality Disorders
• Schizophrenia
• Phobias

What is Depression? How is it Diagnosed?

According to the American Psychiatric Association(APA), depression is a severe medical illness that affects how a person feels, thinks and acts. The disorder can affect anyone, with past trauma, hardship and genetic predisposition often serving as underlying factors that impact the presence and severity of the condition. 

Depression is diagnosed through a thorough evaluation of symptoms and medical history. A healthcare professional may conduct a physical exam, psychological evaluation and/or laboratory tests to rule out other potential causes of depressive symptoms. The individual may also be asked to fill out a standardized questionnaire or participate in a clinical interview to assess the presence and severity of their depression symptoms.

How can a Psychiatric Service Dog Help with Depression?

Psychiatric service dogs help with depression by providing their handler with a variety of physical tasks to accomplish throughout the day, such as going on walks and feeding the animal. This creates a sense of structure, routine and purpose, all key to staving off symptoms of depression. Additionally, psychiatric service dogs can be trained in tasks that help reduce the impact of emotional triggers in daily life. Let’s go more in-depth.

Provide Emotional Support

A psychiatric service dog can provide emotional support and comfort to individuals with depression, helping alleviate symptoms and improve overall well-being. These dogs are trained to perform tasks such as providing deep pressure therapy, interrupting self-harm behaviors and reminding the individual to take prescribed medications.

Provide a Sense of Structure

Psychiatric service dogs can provide a sense of structure and routine to individuals with depression, helping them participate in activities they may otherwise avoid. These dogs can also help to reduce anxiety and promote a sense of safety and security, which can be particularly helpful for individuals who struggle with depression and anxiety.

Create a Sense of Safety

Another benefit of psychiatric service dogs is their ability to provide a sense of safety and security. Individuals with depression often experience feelings of fear and worry, but having a service dog by their side can help alleviate these concerns to some degree. The dog's presence can serve as a reminder that the individual is not alone and that there is someone there to help them through difficult times.

Promote Physical Activity

Psychiatric service dogs also play a key role in promoting physical activity and exercise, behavior linked to better mental health. Many individuals with depression struggle with motivation and may avoid exercise and physical activity. Caring for a service dog by providing walks and play time can help change that behavior and encourage further activity within an individual. 

Reduce Feelings of Isolation

Psychiatric service dogs can provide social support and help reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness. Depression can make it difficult for individuals to form and maintain relationships, but having a service dog can provide a constant source of support and comfort. As a result, a person with depression may experience improvement in their overall sense of well-being and promote feelings of happiness and fulfillment.

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Psychiatric Service Dog Tasks

In addition to acting as a counterpart for an individual struggling with depression, a psychiatric service dog is trained in specific tasks dedicated to reducing the harm caused by symptoms of mental illness. These tasks can range from learning simple ways to remind a person to take medication to full-on intervention in cases of emergency. Examples of specific psychiatric service dog tasks include:

• Interrupting self-harming behavior: a psychiatric service dog must be trained in recognizing and physically interrupting, interfering with or stopping self-harm and related behavior. This can be through barking or contact with their handler.
• Providing emotional support through physical contact: PSDs may be trained to snuggle and be present with their handler to combat loneliness related to depression.
• Encouraging physical activity: if the dog notices the human staying indoors or in bed for more than they are trained to see as normal, they will encourage outdoor activity by bringing balls or leading the human to the door. 
• Providing deep pressure therapy: deep pressure therapy refers to when the dog applies pressure to the human’s body by laying on the human’s lap or even resting their head on the human’s knee. This contact creates a sense of comfort that can help to reduce compounding depressive thoughts.
• Alerting the owner of triggers that may lead to severe depressive moods: a psychiatric service dog will be trained to identify an individual’s unique triggers. For example, if their owner's mood changes because of the weather, a PSD can nudge them to take steps to alleviate the onset of depressive symptoms.

Psychiatric Service Dog Qualifications

For a dog to qualify as a PSD, the animal must complete basic obedience training, task-specific training, public access training and be able to maintain a good temperament for a lengthy duration. This includes ensuring the dog will not bark, cause a disturbance, cause harm or relieve itself when in public places a dog would otherwise not be allowed. The dog must also be able to perform tasks related to its handler’s mental disorder. 

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A person must have been diagnosed with a qualifying mental health condition by a licensed mental health professional. A common misconception is that one must also possess a PSD letter from a mental health professional but this is false. A PSD letter will not be required when completing travel paperwork for your PSD. These forms will only require you to attest to your dog’s training as a PSD and provide information related to the qualifying mental disorder.

What Psychiatric Service Dog Breed is Best for Depression?

For a dog to be a successful psychiatric service dog, it needs to be attentive, highly intelligent and patient to thoroughly complete training. Some breeds are more naturally inclined to perform as a PSD, including: 

• German Shepherds: German shepherds are known for their intelligence, obedience, and empathy. They are a go-to choice for most PSD trainers.
• Golden Retrievers: Golden retrievers are amongst the most popular dog breeds in the world. Their intelligence and great personalities allow them to pass the training easily.‍
• Labrador Retriever: This breed is well-known for its calm and gentle demeanor, as well as its fierce loyalty. Labrador retrievers can uplift the moods of their owners and families with their sheer presence, so they make ideal and natural psychiatric service dogs.‍
• Poodles (and Poodle Mixes): Poodles are some of the most intelligent dogs in the world and are quite sensitive to changes in human emotions. They love playing and spending time with humans, often more than other canines, and they are easy to train obedience and specific service tasks.

Other breeds that may prove successful as psychiatric service dogs include: rottweilers, pitbulls, goldendoodles, chihuahuas and several others.

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How Do I Get a Service Dog for Depression?

If you think a PSD can help alleviate your depression symptoms, there are several ways to make one your own. Once a professional determines your eligibility, you can either adopt a trained PSD to teach your own dog to be a professional service animal.

Qualifying for a Psychiatric Service Dog

To qualify for a PSD, you should be diagnosed with a mental health disorder that can be benefited by a service dog. A licensed mental health professional (LMPH) can diagnose you with a qualifying condition and issue you an official PSD letter, which is not necessarily required but can make living with a service dog easier. The most important factor is training; your PSD should be trained in both behavioral obedience and the skills needed to perform specific tasks related to your disorder.

Adopting a Service Dog

One easy option is to adopt a dog that has already been trained to perform the tasks you need, such as fetching medication and using deep pressure therapy (DPT). While it’s great that the dog is already fully trained as a PSD, this option is usually more expensive.

Training Your Service Dog

If you already have a beloved canine companion, you can train them as a PSD with the help of trained professionals, like those at Pettable. With our online PSD training program, you can train your dog at a pace that fits the animal’s skill level and your lifestyle. Your depression service dog should complete:

• Obedience Training
• Task Training
• Public Access Training
• Specialized Task Training

Training a Service Dog for Depression

When training a service dog for assistance with depression, you’ll need to first ensure your animal is well-versed in basic obedience training, so it will have no problem following your instructions and behaving around other dogs and people. Your dog must also be trained to perform tasks related to your depression, such as self-harm behavior intervention, encouraging physical activity, and alerting the owner to depressive triggers.

If you don’t have the skills to train your dog yourself, you can trust the experts at Pettable to cover everything you need to prepare your canine companion to rise to the occasion. Just take our online PSD assessment to get started.

Service Dog Training Requirements

There are several ways to ensure that your PSD is properly trained. First, make sure the animal is socialized with other dogs as well as humans of all ages to guarantee they are well-behaved in social encounters. You should also establish a strong link between yourself and your service dog, so it always listens to your commands in public settings. However, the ADA does not require that you carry proof or certification for your PSD. Also, it doesn’t need to wear a vest or other specialized gear, although they can help let others know that your dog is a trained working animal.

Online Psychiatric Service Dog Training

Pettable offers an online psychiatric service dog training program led by a professional dog trainer certified in psychiatric service dog training. This 15-part video series will empower you to train your own dog in specific tasks related to your mental health at the pace that works best for you and your dog. Each lesson provides a thorough guide on how you can teach your pet specific techniques through reward systems and obedience training, complete with practical tips to help your pet remember the information and obey commands – crucial for maintaining behavior when in public. Online psychiatric service dog training is also effective at deepening the bond between you and your dog while typically being the most cost-effective form of PSD training

In-Person PSD Training

Alternatively, some opt for physical in-person PSD training. This type of training involves going for training sessions with your dog at a nearby training center, either for private or group training sessions.  This is typically a more expensive option than online PSD training and some dogs may not be able to keep up with the pace of the lessons when led by a new person while others may benefit from the interaction.

Buying a Psychiatric Service Dog

If you do not already have a dog or find the process of training your own dog too challenging, you can buy one that is already trained. The issue with purchasing a PSD is that these dogs can often cost upwards of five figures, existing well outside of the price range of those who may 

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Frequently Asked Questions

Acquiring a psychiatric service dog can be a big decision. Learn more about what to expect from PSDs and explore some of the commonly asked questions to help you make an informed decision that will benefit your long-term mental health.

Can I get an emotional support animal instead?

Yes, you can get an emotional support animal instead if you feel a PSD is not a good fit for you. However, since they are not trained to perform specific tasks, the support they offer will be limited. Consult your mental health professional to find a solution that will work best for you.

What’s the difference between a psychiatric service dog and an emotional support animal?

There are some significant differences between a PSD and an emotional support animal (ESA), including the level of protection afforded each. A PSD is considered a working animal, while an ESA is considered a pet for legal reasons. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against disabled persons, including their trained psychological service animals; it doesn’t offer the same protection for ESAs. While PSDs are allowed to accompany their owners in public settings, housing, and air travel, ESAs are only guaranteed housing protections. 

While a PSD is trained to perform specific tasks to aid in their owner’s mental health needs, an ESA simply provides companionship and affection to bring joy to their human.

How much does it cost to get a depression psychiatric service dog?

There are several methods of acquiring a psychiatric service dog and each method comes at its own price point. Online psychiatric service dog training through Pettable costs a flat rate of $199, or $249 with an ESA letter for housing purposes included. In-person PSD training can typically cost up to several hundreds of dollars per hour. Adopting a psychiatric service dog costs between $10,000 to $50,000, depending on the breed and level of training the PSD has received. 

Does insurance cover a psychiatric service dog for depression?

No, most insurance carriers do not cover the cost of psychiatric service dogs.

Do you need a PSD letter?

No, you do not require a PSD letter to acquire a psychiatric service dog, though this is a common misconception. You will, however, need a diagnosis of a qualifying mental health condition, such as depression, from a qualifying mental health professional. At this point, you will be eligible for a psychiatric service dog. A dog qualifies as a psychiatric service dog once it has completed psychiatric service dog training and can successfully assist in mental health episodes while remaining obedient at all other times. When traveling, you may be required to complete paperwork asserting that your dog has completed PSD training. In situations where a landlord will not allow pets, you may be provided with an ESA letter documenting your right to have your service animal in your home.

Do you need to certify a psychiatric service dog?

No, you do not need to certify or register a service dog. For many with invisible disabilities such as depression, however, one may feel more comfortable carrying some sort of documentation identifying your animal as a psychiatric service dog. Pettable provides a certificate of completion at the end of our PSD training program for such situations.