- What counts
- Trained tasks tied to a disability, not comfort alone
- Diagnosis
- Necessary context, but never automatic eligibility
- Strongest research
- PTSD in veterans: promising but still limited
- In a crisis
- Call or text 988, or call 911
Service dog tasks over diagnoses
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a service animal as a dog individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. The Department of Justice gives a psychiatric example: calming a person with PTSD during an anxiety attack. It also says plainly that a dog whose only function is comfort or emotional support is not a service animal under the ADA.
That distinction shapes every page in this section. Two people with the same diagnosis can have very different needs, and one may benefit from a trained dog while the other is better served by therapy, medication, peer support or an emotional support animal. So rather than saying which conditions qualify, we explain how a condition can limit daily life and which trained behaviors are designed to help with those limits.
What each condition guide covers
Every guide in this section follows the same structure so you can compare them easily:
- What the condition is, based on the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), MedlinePlus, NAMI and similar sources
- How it can affect daily life, work, sleep, relationships and getting around
- Specific psychiatric service dog tasks that may help, with links to our task guides
- What research shows, including where evidence is thin or missing
- Why a dog adds to treatment and doesn't replace it
- What to mention during your evaluation with a licensed clinician
Psychiatric service dog research
Most of the research on psychiatric service dogs studies military veterans with PTSD. A 2022 systematic review in PLOS ONE found that psychiatric assistance dogs were associated with reduced PTSD symptoms, but it also noted that most studies were small and used weaker designs, and only one randomized trial was included. For conditions such as bipolar disorder, OCD, ADHD and schizophrenia, there is very little published research specific to service dogs.
We say this openly because it matters for your decisions. A lack of studies doesn't mean a trained dog can't help a particular person, but it does mean you should be skeptical of anyone who promises results. Your treatment team is the best place to weigh what a dog might add for you.
Diagnosis vs qualification
Having PTSD, depression or any other condition does not by itself mean you have a disability under the law or that a psychiatric service dog letter is appropriate. A clinician looks at how your symptoms substantially limit major life activities, and at whether your dog performs trained tasks that address those limits. If your dog mainly provides comfort, an emotional support animal (ESA) letter is the accurate document instead; we don't issue ESA letters, but our PSD vs. ESA guide explains the difference.
It also helps to know what a letter can and can't do. Under the ADA, businesses can't require documentation for a service dog, so a psychiatric service dog letter is not needed for public access and doesn't grant it. A letter is mainly useful for housing accommodation requests and for supporting travel planning, where airlines may ask for the Department of Transportation's service animal form.
Crisis support
If you are thinking about suicide or are in emotional distress, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which is free, confidential and available 24/7. You can also chat at 988lifeline.org. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911.
