1.
Adams,
John S. "Dogs Enlisted to Aid Veterans with PTSD Harder to Come
By?" USATODAY.COM. USA Today, 7 June 2012. Web. 02 Nov. 2014. Annotation:
This
document looks the topic from the perspective of a patient, an owner of a dog
training facility, and the laws that surround this issue. The first of
which is James “Jimmy” LaCaria, who is now able to go outside his apartment and
into public places because of his psychiatric service dog (PSD). He states that his PSD helped him ways that
his psychiatrist could not. This paper
then goes on to say that a new army police was put in place and that it is now
much more regulated and difficult for a veteran to procure a PSD. The article then provides reasons why this
law needs to change from a personal, and professional level. Finally the article states that there is an
amendment up for discussion in the senate that would make procuring and PSD for
a veteran much easier.
2.
Landauer, B. (2012, Jan 25). Dogs help veterans with
PTSD cope, improve. York Daily Record Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/918981765?accountid=14244
Annotation:
This article starts out with a Vietnam veteran
anxiously facing a trip to Walmart. It
is discussed that Marine Corps Sgt. Harold Fake, had tried “Pills. Booze.
He even took a knife to his own wrist” in an effort to escape the symptoms
of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).
His faithful companion Lakota (A Black Lab) has been the saving grace of
his though that allows him to participate in society more confidently and
assuredly. The article then speaks about
a charity called Helping Hounds, which is where dog trainers and social workers
train PSD, led by Kelly McGinley.
McGinley then explains the amazing transformations he has seen when a
person with PTSD is given a PSD. One of
the issues with this type of charity is that there is so little research, since
it is a relatively new form of treatment.
The article goes on to explain how PTSD works. A person with PTSD is never really able to
leave the stressful moment. A soldier
might have issues going to a super market because there are so many places an
enemy might ambush them, and that type of person might also try to stay near a
wall so that they can see the whole area.
Another difficulty that the illness brings is the difficulty treating
it, antidepressants can help, but not always.
The article then goes back to Sgt. Fake and Lakota at Walmart, Fake
outfitted Lakota with a green vest that has different badges on it. Fake says that he made Lakota an honorary
sgt. While in the store people look and
children giggle, but Lakota always stays by Fake’s side. Then Barry baker and his PSD hunter give
their perspective. Baker’s PTSD set in
when his armored personnel carrier was hit with a grenade, in the attack three
people died. Sometime after he returned
to the US he fell and hit his head on a tree branch. He became convinced that he was back in
Vietnam and began to look for enemy troops.
Once he was stopped he was put in a mental illness institution where he
stayed for eight days. After a nurse recommended
a PSD he got Hunter. Because of Baker’s PTSD he trained hunter to stan behind
him and stand guard whenever he goes out, so that he does not a blind
spot. Hunter provided emotional support
for him when visiting the Vietnam memorial.
Fake also owns a Blue macaw who he relates to. Fake was the one who nursed Lakota back to
health. Even though it was difficult for
Fake to get to the Helping Hounds training event he is glad he did, because
Lakota helps keep him feeling ok. Once
fake leaves the Walmart a lady comments on Lakota and Fake beams with
pride. The article then goes on to give
statistics about PTSD, including a brief overview of the dogs used in PSD
trainings and other training methods.
3.
"Psychiatric Service
Dogs (PSDs)." Service Dog Central. Service Dog Central, n.d. Web. 1
Nov. 2014.
This website is for trainers and service dogs
owners. It is mostly a forum for people
who seek advice or simply conversation about this subject. It provides FAQ about PSD, definitions about
PTSD and PSD, Links, and Laws about PSDs.
4.
Until Tuesday
Montalván, Luis Carlos,
and Bret Witter. Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever
Who Saved Him. New York: Hyperion, 2011. Print.
When Luis Montalván came home from war he found himself
struggling with PTSD. Slowly he started
to find basic things impossible to do, he started drinking, and he started
cutting himself off from his loved ones.
Then Montalván met Tuesday a Golden Retriever, who also had
trouble connecting with people. With the
two of them together they both began to heal emotionally.
5.
Yount R, Ritchie E, St. Laurent M, Chumley P, Olmert
M. "The Role of Service Dog Training in the Treatment of Combat-Related PTSD". Psychiatry Ann. 2013; 43: 292-295. doi:
10.3928/00485713-20130605-11
This is a report that explains why service members feel that Psychiatric
service dogs are more effective at helping them control their PTSD then
medication and therapy alone. The first part of the article gives some scientific background. Then the article explains that PSD lower
PTSD symptoms by encouraging physical activity, social involvement, and
reducing avoidance tendencies. PSD have
also been linked with an increase in Oxycodone and other biochemical occurrences
that increase general happiness, although this has not been assessed in a
perfect scientific manner. This article also
suggest that the use of PSDs may help both those still serving as active duty
servicemen and those back home.
6.
Moore, A. (2014). Animal-assisted therapy for united
states veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder. (Order No. 3580509, The Wright Institute). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, , 157. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/1535703205?accountid=14244. (1535703205).
This Thesis is an accumulation of
current data on animal assistance therapy and how it might relate to psychiatric
service dogs assisting Military members suffering from PTSD. The author also
interviewed several people with PSD about how and why they chose a PSD which
includes a Careful analysis of interviews yielded the following twelve primary
themes: PTSD symptoms the veteran has experienced; the negative impacts PTSD
has had on the veteran’s life; how and why the veteran sought out a Psychiatric
Service Dog; the specific PTSD symptoms the Psychiatric Service Dog has
ameliorated; how and why the Psychiatric Service Dog has been helpful; the
evolving relationship between the veteran and Psychiatric Service Dog over
time; the ways in which the Psychiatric Service Dog has not been helpful; the
ways the veteran's involvement in the Psychiatric Service Dog organization
itself has been helpful; the ways the veteran has felt unsupported by the
military and/or Department of Veterans Affairs; other treatments the veteran
has tried; ways the use of a Psychiatric Service Dog might be a uniquely good
fit for veterans; and the importance of raising awareness of this treatment
modality.
7.
"Assistance Dogs
International.". Assistance Dogs International Inc., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.
Assistance dog’s international is the
organization that decides how PSD should be trained and other assistance
dogs. This organization also works to
promote knowledge and acceptance of assistance dogs. This website also sets out the definitions
for the different types of assistance dogs and the guidelines for the trainers
and organizations of those who train the dogs.
8.
"African
American Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Association - What Is
PTSD?" African American Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Association -
What Is PTSD? African American Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Association,
n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.
This is an organization that details
the description of PTSD, the medications used, psychiatric treatments that are
currently being used, and message boards for patients and their families.
9.
Fritz, G. K. (2011).
Editor's Commentary. The special talents of psychiatric service
dogs. Brown University Child & Adolescent Behavior
Letter, 27(10), 8.
This article starts off
with an anecdotal story about an airport meeting with a woman and her Golden
Retriever on their way to petition Congress about PSD. It goes on to say that trained PSD can help
with the symptoms of PTSD. The author
then ponders whether his dog would qualify as a PSD and finds out that a
personal pet is an emotional support dog, while a PSD has special training to
help with psychiatric issues. Other
support dogs have long been recognized as a means to help the disabled, for
instance a Seeing Eye dog, yet the average person does not know that much about
PSD. PSD might help a person suffering
from OCD break away from doing repetitive task, or reminding a patient to take
their medicine. A PSD has much more
specific training than other types of service animals, they might be
specifically trained to provide a reality check for those prone to disassociate
for reality. More and more professionals
are using PSD, Nonverbal children are much more likely to open up to a calm
loving animal and negative behaviors can be interrupted by the sight of a
loving animal. Even children who are
slow to read are typically much more willing to read to their dog than to an
adult. Not all dog breeds are generally
used, dogs with scrunched up noses who breathe loudly are not generally used as
well as high energy dogs. But the most
important part of choosing a PSD is their temperament. A Calm, well socialized, people-focused, and eager
to please dog is always preferred. Although
many states offer the same benefits to PSD as other assistance dogs the way the
laws are carried out may not be. While
there has been no concrete studies done for PSD there are many testimonials
from people who own PSD, but some are skeptical about the legitimacy of those
claims since many people are blinded by their love for their dog. However when looking at the way humans and
dogs have lived together happily and beneficially for so long and seeing the heightened
senses in dogs the author, and I, believe that PSD can certainly help those
suffering from mental illness.
10.
Woods,
Vanessa. "Dogs Become New Treatment for a War that Never Ends (Op-Ed)" LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 10 Sept. 2013. Web. 02 Nov.
2014.
This
article was written 12 years after 9/11 and the author thought it would be
appropriate to talk about different therapies for people, and specifically
veterans, who are suffering from PTSD.
The therapy in question is a PSD.
The author is the child of a veteran and distinctly remembers the
trouble her father had with PTSD.
Recovery from PTSD is extremely difficult and 10-40% of veterans have
this illness. The author recalls the
difficulty her father had with traditional medications and the ease and comfort
he felt with his dogs. The author notes
that “for those returning from a battlefield, human relationships are loaded
with complications. Our relationship with
dogs is love at its simplest.” Playing
with a dog is shown to release oxycodone in the brain and this chemical can
reduce physiological responses to combat memories. One group found that dog handlers with PTSD
reported a decline in symptoms after working with dogs. Some charities use games to help the dog
learn and to bond the dog and handler.
One of the difficulties surrounding PSD is that it cost an estimated
$10,000 to fully train one dog.
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