Hi, how\u2019s it going? Hope you are doing well.<\/p>\n
Recently I had someone asking me for advice on a topic that I didn\u2019t expect. They were a supporter to a person who has bipolar disorder, and they were looking for a pet for their loved one. They wanted to know what type of pet they should be looking into.<\/p>\n
They had heard of psychiatric service dogs, and were also wondering whether that would be appropriate in their situation. A psychiatric service dog is a dog who helps out a person who has a mental illness to do the things in life that they would normally find difficult.<\/p>\n
They can remind the person to take their medications at a certain time every day, or cheer them up when they are depressed. They can help calm them down when they are irritated, and can even call 9-1-1 if a medical emergency arises!<\/p>\n
But psychiatric service dogs need a lot of training, attention, and care. They need an owner who will love them and understand their needs, and they need to be taken with the person nearly everywhere they go. Psychiatric service dogs are a great thing, but they are only appropriate in certain people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n
But a pet in general can work into most people\u2019s lives. And, of course, there are many different kinds of pets. The two most common are dogs and cats, but I\u2019ve heard of everywhere from fish and hamsters to snakes and birds, and even to more exotic animals.<\/p>\n
Some of these animals can be great therapeutic animals for people who have bipolar disorder. Sometimes that\u2019s just because something else is depending on the person, and it\u2019s just like as if they were growing a garden or something of that nature. Other times it\u2019s because the animal can interact with the person.<\/p>\n
And, of course, some people are just not animal lovers, so you need to take that into consideration, also. Don\u2019t get a pet for your loved one if you think they will ignore, abuse, or dislike it. But if you are convinced that it will do them good, then the next step is to pick out which kind of animal would be best.<\/p>\n
To start off with, as a rule of thumb, I would avoid the more dangerous animals. Then, think about whether the person will need the animal to interact with them or not. If they will need interaction, then I would not suggest a hamster or a lizard.<\/p>\n
Then you might think about how much energy the person is going to have to deal with the pet. Dogs usually require a lot of energy. So if they have a lot of energy to give to a dog, then that might be the best bet. If not, then you might consider a different animal.<\/p>\n
Finally, we get to temperament. Each animal has its own temperament. So does each person, for that matter. Matching up your loved ones temperament with the animals should be done with your loved one present, as it is often like finding a new friend.<\/p>\n
There are lots of things that are great to do as surprises, but picking an animal for someone is probably not one of them. They need to be there to help pick out which individual animal is right for them.<\/p>\n
In the end, you may need to help your loved one to take care of the animal while they are depressed, but don\u2019t completely take over the job. Encourage them to get up and take care of their pet, reminding them that their pet depends on them. This will most likely help out with their depression, as well.<\/p>\n
Pets can, under the right circumstances and if chosen right, help out a person who has bipolar disorder. Do you have any pets? If so, have they helped out your loved one?<\/p>\n
Well, I have to go!<\/p>\n
Your Friend,<\/p>\n
Dave<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hi, how\u2019s it going? Hope you are doing well.<\/p>\n
Recently I had someone asking me for advice on a topic that I didn\u2019t expect. They were a supporter to a person who has bipolar disorder, and they were looking for a pet for their loved one. They wanted to know what type of pet they should be looking into.<\/p>\n
They had heard of psychiatric service dogs, and were also wondering whether that would be appropriate in their situation.<\/p>\n