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When do you consider writing an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) letter for patients with psychiatric illness?

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Psychiatry · Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University

After much soul searching, I decided that I cannot write these letters. The hard part for me is that I'm an animal lover and a pet owner, and I really do appreciate the happiness and comfort that a good animal companion can provide. But the letters are complicated, because for FHA benefits, you are ...

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Psychiatry · Private Practice

I am very liberal with writing letters for emotional support animals. Many of my patients have trouble relating to humans, and animals are heart-opening. The comfort they supply reduces anxiety and makes human contact easier, in my experience. The ability to make attachments is enhanced, and the nee...

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Psychiatry · Oklahoma State University

This type of situation seems to have dramatically increased in the last 10 years, and physicians are being asked to endorse a variety of "animals" as Emotional Support Animals. Many physicians feel uncomfortable doing so with clear guidance and procedures, while many likely see a letter as harmless ...

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Psychiatry · Christiana Psychiatric Services

I have a little threshold for writing letters and supporting having an emotional support animal. Animals are so tremendously therapeutic for all of us, not just those with psychiatric illness. They provide unconditional love, all too infrequently encountered in human relationships. However, I have a...

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