Psychiatric service dogs (PSDs) are trained to perform specific, disability-related tasks that mitigate symptoms of mental health conditions like PTSD, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia. Unlike emotional support animals, PSDs must execute trained actions (not just provide comfort through presence) to qualify as service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Tasks are individualized, but here are common examples:
Deep Pressure Therapy (DPT): The dog lies across the handler's body or applies firm pressure to calm panic attacks, anxiety, or overstimulation.
Interrupting harmful or dissociative behaviors: Pawing, nudging, or licking to stop self-harm, skin-picking, flashbacks, or freezing episodes.
Reminding to take medication: Nudging or retrieving pills at scheduled times.
Alerting to rising anxiety or episodes: Detecting physiological cues (e.g., elevated heart rate) and signaling the handler.
Room searches or turning on lights: For PTSD-related paranoia, checking for intruders or illuminating dark spaces.
Tactile stimulation/grounding: Providing physical contact to reconnect during dissociation.
Retrieving items or summoning help: Fetching a phone, medication, or alerting others in a crisis.
Crowd control or creating space: Circling the handler or blocking approaches in overwhelming situations.
Waking from nightmares: Persistent nudging or licking during night terrors.
These tasks must be reliably trained and directly tied to the handler's disability. General comfort does not qualify.