Emotional Support Animals

Every college student I know could use some emotional support. College campuses can be lonely even when you are surrounded by people. When you crave a deep and authentic connection with someone you can trust, but are surrounded by acquaintances who are trying to impress each other in a bid for popularity, loneliness is inevitable. This is one of the reasons anxiety and depression run rampant on college campuses and why colleges work so hard to provide mental health counseling and support to their students.

In addition to using all of the resources available on their campuses, some students are turning to emotional support animals (ESAs) to help them combat loneliness, anxiety and depression. I met a student last week who is very successfully using a crested gecko as an ESA to help her deal with the challenges she faces as a college student. Her success and enthusiasm inspired me to learn more about ESAs so I could share this topic with all of you.

Having a pet which you can love and care for can help keep you grounded when everything else feels out of control. Knowing that you need to get out of bed in the morning if only to care for your pet can help you maintain a healthy schedule. Related studies in nursing homes have even shown that giving residents the responsibility and autonomy to care for a plant in their room increases life expectancy and mental health outcomes. The benefits of companionship and unconditional love which you can get from an animal have also been shown to include reduced stress levels and improved overall mental well-being.

Keeping yourself alive and fed and getting to your classes on time can feel like a challenge during your first term at school. If you don’t feel ready for the additional responsibility of caring for a pet, an ESA might not be for you. You should consider things like the expense of feeding a pet, the time involved in caring for a pet and access to veterinarian before you decide to pursue an ESA.

If you think you have the bandwidth to care for an ESA and that it would be of significant benefit to your mental health, you have a few action items to complete before you can move your new friend into your dorm room.

First, check with your college’s disability resource center to learn about their policies regarding ESAs. You must get permission to bring your animal onto campus.

ESAs are distinctly different from service animals which have undergone rigorous training to meet specific medical or accessibility needs for their owners and can easily cost thousands of dollars. ESAs are only required to provide companionship and therapeutic or emotional support like comfort and love for an individual with a mental or psychiatric disability like anxiety, depression, panic attacks, or phobias. While service animals are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which ensures that they are allowed in public spaces like malls, airports, and public transportation, ESAs are covered under the Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHA) which is not nearly as inclusive.

The Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHA) requires that ESAs be allowed in private housing spaces like apartment buildings. Some colleges consider dorms to be private housing, while others consider them to be public spaces. Colleges like University of California Berkeley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stetson University are openly friendly to ESAs. Many other schools are relaxing their ESA policies as they recognize the many benefits these animals bring to their students. Unfortunately, others are still firmly opposed to ESAs. Several students have taken their schools to court and won the right to have their ESA in a dorm room setting a legal precedent in favor of ESAs. Also consider that while it may protect your right to have an ESA in your dorm room, the FHA does not extend to public spaces on campus like classrooms, dining halls, or libraries.

Once you have information about your college’s policies regarding ESAs, you will need a letter from your doctor or licensed mental health professional diagnosing you with a mental health condition and stating that your ESA is part of your prescribed treatment plan. At the very least, this letter will need to be on the doctor’s letterhead and include the date, the doctor’s license number and a clear explanation of why you need an ESA. Your school may require other supporting documentation from your doctor as well.

There are also choices to be made regarding the type of animal you wish to use as your ESA. Keep your school’s policies, your limitations and your requirements in mind when choosing your animal. If you don’t have time to take care of a dog or cat or if your school is worried about noise or damage to your dorm room, you could consider small birds, rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, fish, turtles, lizards or other small, domesticated animals. A college which forbids you to bring a dog into the dorms might be willing to accept a crested gecko like the student I met last week has. While they aren’t as cuddly as a puppy, you may argue with your college’s officials that leopard geckos and crested geckos are quiet, docile, non-allergenic and don’t require much space. They bond well with their owners and enjoy being held. They are easy to care for and hardy with a long lifespan (10-20 years). If the idea of cuddling with a lizard makes you cringe, consider the other small animals above.

Finding the right emotional support animal and making sure it is a good fit for you and for your school can be an involved process, but the support an ESA can give you as you navigate your college years is significant and well worth the effort for those in need.