All throughout the United States, mental illness is certainly far from uncommon. After all, there are so many different types of mental illness, as well as so many different ways that it can come about. For some people, mental illness is genetic and being predisposed to it is the reason that their own mental health problems have developed. In addition to this, traumatic events in life can easily also spur on mental illness, no doubt about it.
And mental illness rates are higher than they have ever been before. Anxiety disorders are particularly common, more frequently diagnosed than any other mental illness out there, at least in the United States. At the current date, it has actually been estimated that as many as 40 million people have some type of anxiety disorder alone, all within the United States. On top of this, even more people have depression and more than seven and a half million people have been diagnosed with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD. In total, this means that more than one quarter of the population – around 26% of it, to be a bit more exact – of the United States is living with some type of mental illness, if not even multiple.
Fortunately, there are a number of different ways in which these mental illnesses can be treated and made to be much easier to live with. In many cases, medication of some type will be involved. There is no doubt about it that medication for mental illness can be utterly lifesaving, but it is also important to note that such medication is not the only way that any given mental illness should be treated. Regular therapy can also be hugely beneficial.
So too can having an emotional support animal to serve like a service dog for social anxiety. If you’re wondering how to get an ESA, you are certainly not alone. More and more people who are struggling with mental illness are looking into how to get an ESA, as taking steps on this path of how to get an ESA can be hugely beneficial at the end of the day. After all, many of those who know how to get an ESA know also how helpful having an emotional support animal can be for overcoming social anxiety disorder, for pet therapy for depression, and for coping with PTSD – among any number of other things.
After all, we have long known the mental health benefits of pet ownership, particularly when it comes to cat and dog ownership, two of the animals that quality most frequently to be an emotional support animal and can easily go through the required training necessary on the path of how to get an ESA. In fact, nearly half of all households in this one country alone (around 44% of them, to be at least a little bit more precise) own at least one dog. And among these households, nearly half will let that dog sleep in the bed with them. Cats are even more commonly owned, as cats have less demanding physical needs than most dogs do, making them an ideal pet for those who are looking for a first pet or who are living in a smaller space, such as can be found in the typical city environment, and who simply do not have the room necessary to accommodate even a medium sized dog. For many people struggling with some type of mental illness, making the switch to an ESA and looking into how to get an ESA seems only a natural next step towards even more drastically improving their overall mental health.
If you’re looking into how to get an ESA, start with your therapist or psychologist. Ideally, such a professional will be able to recommend an ESA of some type to you, making it easier than ever to register your animal as an emotional support animal, something that will allow you to move into any type of housing with them. People who have an emotional support animal can even often take them on planes and through various other modes of travel and transportation as well.