Psych Service Dog?

I have had Bipolar, Depression, & ADD for quite awhile now... the Bipolar and depression symptoms seem to be getting a lot worse over the past 6mo/year. I have absolutely no energy to do anything, no drive, if I'm not at work I'm in bed. I feel worthless. Like I was a mistake. I feel like I've been a disappointment to everyone in my life. I'm someone who wouldn't go out to put gas in my car without being dressed, hair done, and makeup on. Now I hardly get out of my sweats, rarely do my makeup, and hair is never done. Not even for work. Its always just up in a messy bun. I'm also the person who used to never call in sick to work. I went 7 years at my last job w/out a sick call. This job I'm at now, I've been at for almost 6 months, and already have 3 sick calls. Those are because I just can't get out of bed because of the bipolar/depression. Dealing with the people on the phone is becoming increasingly more difficult, especially during manic phases, and they are rude, and disrespectful...trying to not lose my cool is becoming a job in itself. I am beginning to hate people in general...they are all so self absorbed, fake...Including my boss!!

I'm seeing a new therapist, but there has been no talk of changing my meds (been on the same ones for about 6 years), but I've been reading about psych service dogs for bipolar disorder and depression. Has anyone ever had any experience with a service dog for their bipolar and/or depression? I've also seen how extremely expensive the training is for this. Someone told me that if the my P-doc recommends a service doc, there are places that donate the training. Is this true? Does anyone know where? Thanks for any input anyone may have.

My dog has a letter from my therapist saying I need her. Leagally you can train the dog yourself. What do you want to teach the dog?

I adopted from the local shelter, he is a mutt. But he is just so attuned to "me" He often can "sense" a mood shift in me before I do. When he stays glued to me , literally, yes it gives me a heads up so I can address it right then.

"Sirius" was just a scared hurt puppy with an infected leg that would have caused him to die within a few days had I not adopted him and gone right to the vet.. Him and I just clicked the moment our eyes met, So I don't know what a trained Psych dog would /could do other than offer unconditional love also.

One thing I do think about having a pet whether it is trained or not.. It "makes" you get up and take care of there needs.... even when you cant imagine leaving your bed, You must.. there is no option ! That furry friend depends on you.

dont have a dog, but know many ppl here do. I have been told how much they help with the mood swings and motivation to get out and move. No idea about the training or any of that. I hope you can find out and I'll be interested in learning what you do learn. Be safe

Dogs can be prohibitively expensive. You can't imagine denying them care, but vet bills can put you under.

I have a therapy dog (different than a service animal), so while he's only allowed to accompany me to certain events, I am able to take him other places because he's so calm and well behaved. He's with me pretty much all the time, and has been a big help in therapy because he's such a stress-reducer and my therapist is an animal lover so that helps me see her in a good light.

His only cost was the shelter fee, plus a nominal registration for therapy animal renewal. The big expenses are the ones common to all dogs--vet bills and food.

I have a service dog for bipolar and PTSD. I couldn't ever imagine not having her by my side now and wish I had looked into the benefits much sooner.

We adopted Brooklyn from the local shelter and trained her ourselves. Training is on the honor system according to the federal government. If you are out with a service dog you are.saying they are trained.

You can register a dog with many places online for upwards of $100 but this is not required or necessary.

Our dog, Brooklyn, started out as an emotional support animal which only needs a note from your therapist. Then I trains her to help me. She never leaves my side an has helped so much.

A service dog for mental health reasons? Do they sense mood changes and such? How?

I have 2 Yorkies. Not specifically trained. Some days they stick to me like Velcro which can be annoying. I never thought about them feeding into my moods that way. Hmmm. I have thought about getting them a "therapeutic" sweater before. One would be a great help to have in my shopping cart, dr's office, etc.

When I vacation I prefer to not have them with due to stressors of hoping they will mind their manners in all respects at each person's place. They probably would. Just me.

Have had dogs all my life. They can sort out who's a nice person and who they don't care to be around. I pay attention and adjust myself accordingly.

Yorkies rock. They are very intelligent, shed like people and are good for ppl who have allergies. IMO excellent companions.

Best wishes.

I have a friend who just got her cat registered as a therapy cat.

Mine reduces anxiety and also blocks/guards the door wherever we are and alerts if someone is approaching.

A service dog for mental health reasons? Do they sense mood changes and such? How?

When I'm agitated she'll play fight
She tells me when there's a problem (if she doesn't hear/see a problem it's not really there)
She'll lay with me while depressed and force me to pet her so I don't shut down

That sounds so cute! I want a therapy dog! However, I live in an apartment and in college and have no time and money for a puppy right now. I have a pet rat named Renee. The rat is a freak. Lol.

Dogs make great companions and provide comfort for their owners, regardless of whether or not they understand our emotions. Studies have shown that dogs can indeed understand and respond to human behaviour, though whether or not they are empathic when they see their owner upset is unclear and the results are generally a mixed bag.

Still, dogs are pack animals and the human owner of a dog is, to them, their pack leader. Therefore they will protect and support their human without fail. This can be very comforting for someone.

Thank you everyone for you input. Sorry I've been slow to respond. I've been caught up in a lot of stuff. I've not been doing well. I've had a lot going on. I just felt a sudden shift in my mood about 20 minutes ago again actually. I really hate this. It's getting so much worse than it used to be.
Anyway, I see my therapist on Wednesday, Im going to ask him about the dog...see if he can write a letter stating the need for one, or if I need to get one from an actual p-doc.
Thanks again guys!

I got a cat a year ago at the recommendation of my Pdoc. He is a great distraction, and is actually training me!

Example?

He is a Maine Coon, long haired gorgeous black and white. So that means cat hair all over the place! As I looked up ways to deal with the hair, a lot of the sites said for me to groom him. It did not take long for me to get tired of the cat hair on my tongue , so I got a brush. Dude did not like that much. so finally, yesterday, he laid on my lap and let me brush him. Coincidental that I started my meds a week and a half ago?

Interesting. One of my cats will sit with me or brush against my legs if I am sick or feel sad. We are both sensitive. He is diabetic and I have to give him his shot at 10 each night so it helps me to remember my medicine at the same time. I wish I could train him, but he is kind of older and I'm not sure what I would want him to learn. Maybe I will research therapeutic cats and train the next kitten I get.

Espurr,

A very good friend of mine has a cat that is diabetic. Would urinate like crazy, always hungry. She had to give him shots, etc. The vet had her change to Fancy Feast canned food (Classic Version) and he no longer needs shots, drinks a lot less water and urinates a lot less. Just a thought...

Interesting. We have to feed him and our other cat Purina Diabetic Management because if we give the other cat normal food, he will go steal it lol. It is prescription and dry food, so it runs about $50 a month. His diabetes might be worse as the vet asked us to put him down, but I said no. I will ask about the Fancy Feast the next time we take him though because at the very least, maybe we can feed the other cat that, and it wouldn't be so bad if he stole some of it.

I could totally see how a cat could be therapeutic. Especially if it likes to be cuddly and snuggly. And the purring could be like white noise/calming. Hope it helps you all.

That was the stage this little guy was in. But like you said... at least cutting the cost in feeding the second cat would help!

I have a cat and 3 dogs. My cat will sleep with me when he can tell that something is up, and demands my lap so I can pet him. My male dog, the one I have had the longest and is the closest to me will stick to me in either depression states or mania. During a mania, he will keep me busy by being active himself and we will do 10-15 miles of biking a day. During depression, he makes me get up, pet him, etc. He is not a service dog, as I am not disabled, but in stores that allow dogs, I have taught him to guard my back side by standing sideways, allowing me to press my legs against his side (sense of assurance). I have also taught him to stand facing away from me to watch for "bad" people. He gets weekly training at a dog training facility as I am going into competition with him, and he is incredibly smart. I am glad I am not considered disabled, but sometimes I feel like it would be easier if he was allowed to come everywhere with me.

Be that as it may it doesn't make a therapy dog a service dog. Big difference. A therapy dog is not allowed the privileges of a SD. The only reason so many people get away with this is a loop hole that prevents establishments from asking for proof. Anyone can walk in anywhere and say their dog is a SD. The fact is, if it's for emotional support, it's not....

Precisely. This is often misunderstood.

At one time I had two dogs registered as therapy dogs through an online service (no longer available) *and* my psychiatrist wrote a letter to support them as therapy dogs after she met them and saw how well trained they were and attentive to my needs.

Only one of those two dogs are still alive.

Having my dogs certified as therapy dogs allows me to take them places they wouldn't otherwise be allowed to go, and it waived the deposit for them on my apartment, too. Of course, I need them, so that's the biggest benefit of all of having them registered!