Usually, people possess a general assumption that they can get an ESA letter only from a counselor, psychiatrist, and psychologist. ESA includes the word ‘emotional’ due to which people believe that healthcare professionals who treat the emotional and mental problems of people can only write ESA letters for them. But it is not true at all. Family doctors can also write ESA letters and can assign an appropriate Emotional Support Cat to the patients. Primary care physicians possess great knowledge about the mental conditions of the patients because they work closely with them. Such doctors know how they can treat patients efficiently because of the knowledge of the different symptoms of mental disorders. According to research studies, 48 million people in the United States are experiencing issues related to their mental health. Common treatments of the mental disorder include cognitive behavioral therapy, talk therapy, medications, and ESAs.
What is an ESA?
An ESA is an animal that provides support and companionship to people who are suffering from the symptoms of a mental disorder. ESA prevents the patients from feelings of depression and loneliness. Emotional support animals can be prescribed with another form of treatment such as counseling sessions, medications, and holistic treatments. Federal laws of the United States provide rights to the emotional support animal. Anemotional support dog letter allows the patients to keep their ESA in-house without any sort of discrimination. This letter ensures that landlords do not charge any extra fee for emotional support animals. There are many travel laws as well regarding ESAs which allow them to travel with their owner without any sort of discrimination or problem.
What is a Primary Care Physician?
Most people think of a family doctor as a primary care physician. Primary care physicians are associated with the provision of treatment for common medical issues. A primary care physician is considered as one who gets followed by patients for a long period of time. Primary care providers are usually doctors but they can be licensed nurse practitioners as well. A licensed physician assistant is also included in the list of primary care providers. Following are the duties associated with primary care physicians:
Can a Physician Write an ESA Letter?
If the primary care physician is licensed, he can write an ESA letter for his patients who are suffering from adverse symptoms of a mental disorder. Primary care physicians or family doctors remain well aware of the condition of their patients, so they can assign a suitable emotional support dog letter or cat to their patient. Primary care physicians are usually more aware of the conditions of the patients as compared to other mental health professionals. They can assign an emotional support animal to the patients as an essential part of their treatment. Before keeping an emotional support animal, patients would have to ask their doctors whether ESA will prove beneficial or not.
Who else can Provide an ESA Letter?
If your family doctor or primary care physician does not prescribe you an emotional support animal letter, there are still chances to get that. A local licensed therapist can help you in providing an ESA letter whether online or in person. Psychiatrists, psychologists, licensed social workers, registered nurses, licensed family therapists, physician's assistants, and licensed counselors are those professionals who can provide an ESA letter to the patients. To be able to provide an ESA letter, all these professionals need to be licensed. If any professional does not have a license, he is not eligible to provide an ESA letter to the patients.
Why Do People Need an ESA Letter?
Many people have started to claim that their pets are emotional support animals so that they can be kept in the houses and can enjoy all rights associated with ESAs. Many people have been caught who were misrepresenting their pets as ESAs. Penalties have been increased by states to catch all those people who misrepresent their pet animals as ESA. All these fines or penalties can be avoided if people possess an ESA letter from a licensed mental health professional. All owners of emotional support animals can get credibility by having an ESA letter. It helps in maintaining the authority and propriety of patients and their emotional support animals.
An ESA letter allows people to live and travel with their emotional support animals. But it does not provide permission to the ESA owners to take their emotional support animals with them in public spaces and deteriorate the whole environment. Different establishments are welcoming the emotional support animals to public places but they also have full right to ask the owner to leave. ESA letters cannot force the establishments to allow Emotional Support Dog in public places. ESA is more needed in the house and during travel and ESA letter ensures the right of ESA in these areas only.
It can be concluded that emotional support animal letters provide various rights to the ESAs and their owners who are suffering from any mental illness. ESA letters can be provided by primary care physicians so that patients can live and travel with their ESAs to eliminate emotional distress or mental issues. Always consult your physician before keeping any type of emotional support animal.
Useful Resources:
10 unique Benefits of keeping an Emotional Support Hamster
Rules and Eligibility Criteria for Dogs to Become ESAs
4 Ways to Keep Your ESA Fit and Happy
Step by Step Guide to Get an ESA
