Benefits of Having Dogs for People with PTSD

Dogs can help those with PTSD.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety condition that can occur in people who have gone through a significantly traumatic event. It's common in military personnel who have been in war zones, and it can occur secondary to traumatic childhood or adult experiences too.

What Are the Symptoms of PTSD?

People with PTSD often experience some or all of the following symptoms:

PTSD must be diagnosed by a professional. If you are having symptoms that you feel might indicate PTSD, visit your doctor right away.

Treatment for PTSD

Many treatments can be helpful for people with PTSD, but there is not currently a cure for the condition. Therapies that help many people include:

New treatments and therapies are being developed all the time, and often, a combination approach using multiple techniques can help someone with PTSD the most. For instance, orange essential oil has shown benefits in studies for those with PTSD.

Dogs and PTSD

Dogs are being used more and more to help people in their daily lives. They can be trained to help people with physical disabilities. Some are trained to aid children and adults on the autism spectrum. Others can help those with PTSD symptoms. Here are some of the ways dogs can help those with PTSD:

As you can see, there are many ways in which dogs can help people with PTSD, either as companions or as trained service dogs. Other pets can help, too, especially with companionship and unconditional love, but dogs have specific qualities that lend themselves to aiding with many of the particular things with which those with PTSD might struggle.

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