Service dogs can help people who have PTSD
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a serious problem in the US, according to the “What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?” written by American Psychiatry Association, “PTSD affects approximately 3.5 percent of U.S. adults every year, and an estimated one in 11 people will be diagnosed with PTSD in their lifetime. Women are twice as likely as men to have PTSD.” (APA) We can see that PTSD affects so many people, therefore, service dogs are a way to help the people who have PTSD. Service dogs can be soothing the PTSD emotional and physical problems, let’s talk about how can service dogs can help people.
First, we know that some PTSD patients cannot take care of themselves and cannot perform tasks that will keep them safe(Rousseau, D, 2022). Therefore, we need to have Psychiatric service dogs, the service dogs are trained to help the patients in their life, for example, “find a person or place, conduct a room search, signal for certain sounds, interrupt and redirect, assist with balance, bring help, bring medication in an emergency, clear an airway, and identify hallucinations. (Rousseau, D, 2022)”
Also, the service dog can help the patient emotionally because the service dog can stay with you and support you when you feel sad and lonely. Most people who have PTSD also will have some psychiatric problems like depression, anxiety, service dogs can help them to relax and service dogs can know that the patients have the symptoms of anxiety, when its know, it will try nudging, pawing, or licking the handler till the patients calm down (6 WAYS SERVICE DOGS HELP PEOPLE WITH PTSD, 2020).
Finally, service dogs can be a reminder of the patients, for example, they can remind the patients that is time to take their medicine and remind them of routine tasks such as eating and sleeping (6 WAYS SERVICE DOGS HELP PEOPLE WITH PTSD, 2020).
However, the service dogs have some weak parts, and that is service dogs cannot cure PTSD, and they just can get simple support before, during, and after the trigger(Rousseau, D, 2022). In my opinion, I think that even though service dogs cannot cure PTSD, they also support the patients a lot when the patients need help. Service dogs can be soothing the PTSD emotional and physical problems, when the patients who in danger, they also will help them to solve the problems.
I think that dogs can help us to relax and my dog lets me know that she will stay with me when I need help. I really love my dog because she helped me across the most difficult experience in my life. On the other hand, I also think that not only dogs can help us to calm down, but also cats or horses can help us to solve the problem.
References Material
American Psychiatry Association. (n.d.). What is posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? Psychiatry.org – What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)? Retrieved April 20, 2022, from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ptsd/what-is-ptsd#section_10
Jimenez, J. (2020, December 4). 6 WAYS SERVICE DOGS HELP PEOPLE WITH PTSD. New Life K9s Service Dogs. Retrieved April 20, 2022, from https://www.newlifek9s.org/news-events/blog/service-dog-blog.html/article/2020/12/24/6-ways-service-dogs-help-people-with-ptsd
Rousseau, D. (2022). Module 4: Pathways to recovery: Understanding approaches to trauma treatment. Blackboard, https://onlinecampus.bu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-9960461-dt-content-rid-63971458_1/courses/22sprgmetcj720_o2/course/module4/allpages.htm
5 comments
Good post, I think you make some really good points. Service dogs are used for so many things to assist people. It makes sense that service dogs should be trained and utilized to for people suffering PTSD. Animals have an excellent way of feeling things around them and with a little training they can easily become accustom to learning to care for a person. I have seen service dogs in use when someone suffers from a seizure disorder, so I can see how it would be beneficial to have a dog help someone as they cope with PTSD.
Hi Nicole,
Great post! How can one argue the positive effects of a service animal? The answer is they can’t. One of my main points that I will stick with until the end of time is that nobody wants to feel like they’re alone. I would argue that this is even more prevalent when dealing with stress or PTSD. A service dog for example offers added support to the individual which will benefit them in terms of depression, anxiety, as they’re trained to aid in situations where these symptoms may impact the person’s ability to lead a prosperous life.
Best,
Kelly
I definitely agree with you on how our four legged friends can help tremendously with our mental health. I have mentioned before in our discussion posts that I also have a golden lab that absolutely adore. He helped me get into a much healthier routine and got me out of slumps when I felt unmotivated and sad at times. I met so many new people because of our weekly adventures together as well. And like you’ve mentioned dogs really do help you through the most difficult times of our lives!
I really enjoyed reading this post. People need to know that dogs are very helpful when it comes to mental health. I have a fear of needles and having my dog around while I was in the hospital was very comforting. My heart rate went down so my doctor allowed my dog to stay in the room for the remaining of my time there. Like you said dogs will not cure PTSD, but it will give the person some comfort in a very high stress situation. Animals are a blessing to have around
Hi Tsz, I definitely agree with service animals as a coping mechanism. I have seen the affect it has on so many different people. Especially for pediatric cancer kids. My mom is an oncology nurse, and every time they would have service dogs on the floor, she would send me pictures and I could just see how it can brighten the kids’ days. I do not have a service dog, but I would consider my cat, Draco, to be one of the brightest lights in my life that really helps me de-stress when I am really down. Great post!
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