Over the past few months, stress and anxiety have been affecting my sleep, focus, and overall mood more than usual. I have been reading about Emotional Support Animals and how they may help people feel calmer and more emotionally stable during difficult times.

While researching online, I found My ESA Therapist and started wondering how many people here have actually gone through the ESA process. Did having an emotional support animal make a noticeable difference in your mental health or daily routine? I am also curious about how smooth and professional the online evaluation experience was for you.

Well this is a landlord site and most landlords are not medical professionals. Finding advice online, while convenient, does not usually take into account your unique medical circumstances.

If the question is, do most landlords find that people who claim to need an ESA and present online evidence of that need are sketchy, then the answer would be yes. The reason being that any pet would create the same result. There is nothing special about a ESA animal, thus for the most part you must be claiming an ESA status to avoid paying pet rent.

I have one legit ESA tenant who jumped through all the hoops to have an ESA including yearly medical letters from a local medical provider but she is the exception to what most landlords encounter.

For the price of your online medical evaluation you could adopt a dog or cat from the pound and see whether or not your mental health improves. In my limited experience with family members, only drugs have helped with depression and anxiety.

And lastly IP address 152.56.X.x is located in India not NY.

Not sure what you are fishing for Terry.

We have anxiety about so many folks who falsely claim to need ESAs. The good news about at least my state, misrepresenting oneself is now punishable. Insurance companies were able to push this through after paying so many claims about fake ESAs biting people

Perhaps I should rent to only ESAs and not people, so they stop getting bit.

First thing-- if you have a family history of depression, definitely take meds to help your chemistry. It makes a huge difference.

Find a new hobby that doesn't involve

"Did having an emotional support animal make a noticeable difference in your mental health or daily routine?"

Not really. Of course, I just called mine a dog and not an ESA. Having the dog as a companion is nice at times and beats humans, however there are drawbacks. You have to feed them, water them, bathe them, clean up after them, take them for walks, take them to the vet, ect.... All the while, the dog would rather not have some smelly human controlling them and telling them how to act. They know how to be a dog and just want their freedom. Think about it, how well do you like being under human control and being told what to do. Most humans don't find it pleasant to be in prison, yet they imprison "their" animals. Thus, I have found it more comforting to let the animals be free and avoid all of the expense and hassle of trying to control what doesn't want to be controlled.

With all that said, I have found that the best solution is to pet, hug, and squeeze animals under someone else's control and at their (the "owners") financial expense. When I have had my feel, I can go home. No smell, no noise, no expense, no clean up. This works great for kids too.

You can pick up a psychology textbook or two. Psychiatry textbooks are great but lengthy. Reader beware though.

" There is nothing special about a ESA animal..."

Bummer. There goes my ESA donkey. I find them entertaining.

There is no such thing as an ESA therapist and absolutely no such thing as an "ESA process".

If a person has a mental health disability, they will be treated by a mental health professional and their mental health care professional gives them a diagnosis and prescribes an Emotional Support Animal.

If you are doing something online, you are most likely being scammed.