Why emotional support animals can be medical necessities

Last year, several stories came out about people trying to bring animals like peacocks and potbelly pigs on airplanes. These people claimed said animals should be allowed to board because they were their emotional support animals (ESAs). Pretty soon the term ESA and the idea of working the system became synonymous. 

When it comes to NDSU, the conversation surrounding ESAs looks much the same. For those individuals who have lived or who currently live on-campus in a residence hall, you know there are pretty strict rules regarding which animals are allowed in the halls. Spoiler alert: it’s pretty much only fish. I would bet pretty heavily that most students would not mind having their dog or cat in their rooms on-campus. So it’s no wonder that many students have thought, even casually, what can I do to get my animal on campus?

About a year ago, when I first arrived at NDSU, I held a pretty negative view towards the idea of ESAs. I too had seen the stories of exotic animals being brought on planes and into malls, and it seemed like an excuse to get your animal into places where animals are typically prohibited. However, the first few weeks of school set in and I wasn’t sleeping. At first, I just thought I was having the typical new college student problems: anxiety-related insomnia, mild depression and an all-encompassing wish to be with my pet.

It wasn’t until I went to the counseling center and talked with a therapist that I connected my lack of sleep with my lack of having my cat. During some of the toughest moments in my life, my cat was there with me, and I realized I had been using my relationship with my pet to alleviate a lot of the stress in my life. Suddenly, the impact of an emotional support animal became real. My pet had become as vital to my mental health as any antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications ever could.

Getting permission to bring my pet on campus and into the residence hall was no easy feat, and it’s not hard to imagine why. Every year many students apply to bring their pets on campus. Some of those applications warrant being approved, but for many students, they see those in the media abusing ESA guidelines and figure why shouldn’t they.

My application for an ESA last year was one of the few that actually got approved. Now, still living in the residence hall, I often find that people are quick to assume that my need is not real and I find a loophole in the system to get my pet here.

However, it’s not that simple. In the same way that service animals provide vital and necessary assistance to those individuals with physical needs, emotional support animals provide the same thing to those with mental needs. 

The apprehension towards using animals for medical purposes can be warranted. There is currently no state or national guidelines for what is required of either service or emotional support animals. Each animal is usually certified by private companies or by medical professionals.

However, it is a rare individual, like those represented in the media, who abuse these systems. I too was a skeptic until I realized my mental health was facilitated by a cat. I can recognize how ridiculous that sounds and also tell you it’s one-hundred percent accurate.

In the future, give people with ESAs or service animals the benefit of the doubt. We’re just trying to protect our physical and mental health, even if the means to do so come in the form of small, furry creatures.