A research paper addressing psychiatric service dogs as intervention for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

1. Running Head: SOWK RESEARCH PAPER 1
Psychiatric Service Dogs as Intervention for Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Kelly Guthrie
The University of Georgia

2. SOWK RESEARCH PAPER 2
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD, is one of the leading causes of
impairments in quality of life and functioning among veterans. According to lawyer Richard
Weinmeyer, PTSD is a psychological response to extreme trauma that involves long-term,
persistent changes in mood, behavior, and experience such as flashbacks, nightmares, and
intrusive thoughts (2015). Although psychiatric service dogs (PSDs) have been proven in many
ways to help veterans suffering from PTSD, there is a lack of empirical data provided for the VA
to make a change in the ruling to allow veterans with mental illnesses to receive a PSD. The
ruling today states that a veteran must have a visual, hearing, or mobility impairment to receive
the intervention of a PSD. Social workers can help people of all disabilities gain equal rights and
opportunities when it comes to benefits of PSDs provided by the VA. With further research and
advocacy by social workers, there can be enough evidence to support people of disabilities to
gain the diverse treatments they need for optimal recovery.

3. SOWK RESEARCH PAPER 3
What is a Psychiatric Service Dog?
A psychiatric service dog (PSD) is a specifically trained dog that can assist people who
have been disabled by severe mental health issues such as PTSD. PSDs can assist a person with
PTSD by providing a safe presence around them, reminding them to take their medicine,
interrupt a flashback or dissociative episode, to alleviate fear or hyper vigilance, and steady
source of personalized support (Husband, Ahmed, Dell, 2020). PSDs are specifically trained in
tasks centered around obedience and working with their handler to mitigate their psychiatric
disability. In this research analysis, the focus is on PSDs that specialize in helping veterans with
PTSD.
What treatments are there now for PTSD?
The United States Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) has many treatment methods for
veterans that have PTSD. According to the VA official website, they have almost 200 PTSD
treatment programs across the country that consist of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), group
therapy for special needs, psychodynamic therapy, family therapy, and antidepressants (2019).
The VA’s National Center for PTSD cite states that trauma-focused psychotherapies are the most
highly recommended type of treatment for people with PTSD (2020). Following this, the VA
states that antidepressants (SSRIs and SNRIs) affect the level of naturally occurring chemicals in
the brain that can help treat people with PTSD. The VA lists many different kind of treatment,
but claims that there is not a specific treatment that works best for everyone and it depends on
the person to determine the benefits, risks, and side effects of each treatment to help the person
battling the mental illness (2020).
How Can Psychiatric Service Dogs help veterans with PTSD?

4. SOWK RESEARCH PAPER 4
PSDs and their assistance to veterans with PTSD has become a growing topic in social
work. Many individuals in the professional today work closely with the VA to help veterans with
mental illnesses and disabilities such as PTSD. The interactions between veterans diagnosed with
PTSD and their PSDs are consistent with the research affirming that human-animal interactions
can have positive outcomes on quality of life, mood, and overall human welfare (Houtert,
Edenburg, Wijnker, 2018). Companion animals in general are shown to reduce social isolation
by acting as a social facilitator between humans helping to reduce the intersectionality between
mental illnesses among people. There is evidence that dogs at large have a positive effect on
people, and that PSDs gave positive outcomes on veterans and their unique challenges they face
while having PTSD.
Veterans with PTSD are likely to have issues associated with interpersonal difficulties, as
seen through their relationships with their families and people in general. Research on veterans
show both current and previous encounters highlighting negative effects of PTSD on intimate
relationships such as poor marital adjustment and overall poor family functioning. This has
shown to lead to higher rates of divorce and interpersonal violence in veterans (Monson, Taft, &
Fredman, 2009). When veterans return from deployment, it evident that dogs may be used as a
safer source of interaction for veterans which allows the individual with PTSD to reengage in
meaningful and trusting relationships that facilitate healing from interpersonal trauma (Yount,
Olmert, & Lee, 2012). The dogs thus reflect their ability to help veterans with PTSD to reconnect
with their relationships that may have been faulted due to their mental illness caused from their
time and experiences in the military.
PSDs are shown to have overall positive effects on veterans with PTSD when it comes to
decreasing their overall psychological symptoms and well-being and welfare as a human. A

5. SOWK RESEARCH PAPER 5
meta-analysis of past studies done on psychiatric service dogs (PSDs) by Gillet and Weldrick
(2014) reflected that these dogs have positive effects on veterans. These effects reflect
improvements in negative emotional states, improvements in ability to trust and bond, and an
overall reduction in psychological symptoms. They also concluded that having a PSD can help
reduce loneliness and depression, while also decreasing symptoms of anxiety. PSDs are seen to
lower multiple symptoms of PTSD which varies from person to person.
Qualifications to Receive PTSD Dog
There are many organizations that provide PSDs to veterans with PTSD such as Vet
Dogs, K9s for Warriors, Patriot Paws, and more associations that offer help to veterans in this
way. Although these organizations may qualify veteran with PTSD to receive a PSD due to their
mental illness, the VA requires the intersection of PTSD with other disabilities for veterans to
receive the assistance from PSDs. Despite the fact that the VA’s National Center for PTSD is the
world leader in PTSD research, education, and treatment, they lack versatility with what veterans
with PTSD can have dogs to help. The VA has been providing dogs for veterans since the late
1950s, beginning with guide dogs for visually-impaired veterans. The VA has made
improvements across the years to get service dogs for many veterans with a wide range of
disabilities. Despite Congress giving further power to the VA to provide service dogs trained for
aiding veterans with mental illnesses, including PTSD, the VA made a rule that made it so only
veterans with visual impairments, hearing impairments, and substantial mobility impairments
could qualify for a PTSD dog (Veterans’ Benefits, 38 USC sec 1714, 2009).
Discrimination of Disabilities
The United States Government Accountability Office revealed that only about 50 percent
of returning veterans who need mental health treatment will receive services. Barriers for

6. SOWK RESEARCH PAPER 6
treatment consist of personal embarrassment of service-related mental disabilities, stigma
associated with mental illness, concerns over the veteran mental health treatment offered by the
VA, and more barriers that veterans face (2011). Veterans already face a hard time receiving
help for PTSD and are further held back from help when it comes to treatments specifically in
the use of PSDs for veterans with PTSD.
During the establishment of the rule by the VA stating that only veterans with visual,
mobility, and hearing impairments could receive PSDs for PTSD, people from the public felt that
the VA was exclusive with criteria of who can get a PSD. They found the rule to be unlawfully
discriminatory because it viewed veterans with mental health impairments differently than
veterans with physical impairments. People felt that this rule went against section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 stating that all disabilities should be treated equally when it comes to
benefits, programs, and activity (Weinmeyer, 2015). Due to the lack of empirical data on the
effectiveness of PSDs on veterans with PTSD, the VA is not lawfully bound it comply with the
public’s view of the discrimination in the VA’s ruling and lack of inclusivity when it comes to
who qualifies for a psychiatric dog specific for PTSD.
In Relation to Social Work
The lack of disability inclusivity when it comes to the benefits provided by the VA goes
against social justice and the dignity and worth of a person, some of the core values of social
workers. Social workers can help the problem of a lack of PSDs provided to veterans with PTSD
through the VA in many ways. Despite the positive outcomes of PSDs with veterans with PTSD,
the VA does not provide all veterans with PTSD as they do not meet the qualifications as
mentioned above: the prevalence of a mobility disability, visual disability, or hearing disability.
There reasoning for this is a lack of research on the effectiveness of PSDs. This is due to absence

7. SOWK RESEARCH PAPER 7
of consensus on the best practice or standardizes methodology for the type of study to use to
measure their effectiveness and what constitutes the best practice for intervention. Without these
past studies and research, it is hard to have empirical data when researchers are at the base of the
pyramid of knowledge on PSDs best help to veterans with PTSD. Social workers can help this
problem by adding to the research on this topic and working to find empirical evidence. This can
lead to the VA and other organizations to support giving PSDs to veterans with the mental illness
PTSD as a qualification and not intersectional with other disabilities such as the qualifications
placed now. While social workers can help provide empirical research to back up the need for
PSDs in all sects of disabilities, they can also help people through advocacy. Social workers
throughout history have advocated for groups of people that are seeking equality. This issue
shows the unequal rights given to people based on their differences in disabilities.
Conclusion
Overall, the research concluded that the interaction of veterans with PTSD and PSDs
elicit positive emotions and feelings of affection, more positive emotions, and overall
improvement in human welfare (Houtert, Edenburg, Wijnker, 2018). The lack of empirical
knowledge on the usability of PSDs, specifically veterans dealing with PTSD, may contribute to
the VA’s decision to provide PSDs to veterans with PTSD. Despite the lack of empirical
information on the effectiveness of PSDs specifically with veterans with PTSD, personal data
and the overall ability for dogs to help people is evident. There needs to be more research and
data on the effects of PSDs on veterans with PTSD, which can be fulfilled through the help and
advocacy of social workers.

8. SOWK RESEARCH PAPER 8
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