Service/therapy dog VS Antidepressents

Page 1 of 1 [ 4 posts ] 

ZombieBrideXD
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Jan 2013
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,507
Location: Canada

17 Nov 2015, 11:59 pm

im trying to decide whats best for my future and what will help me better progress with my anxiety.

my anxiety and panic attacks are SEVERE, often leading to horrible stomach problems (loss of appetite, constipation/diarrhea cramps, nausea, stomach ulcers, and indigestion to name a few,) that i have experienced in the month of october ALONE. this video actually helped me better understand how my autism affects my anxiety

anyways, i realized I've had my anxiety ever since i was very young but it only became a real problem when i was 11, and ever since then its only gotten worse, and i know as long as I'm autistic i will be anxious. so what should i do in the future? i cant keep leaving school when things get too tough, the way i see it i have two options, 1. Medication, 2. Therapy (or both). on the one hand i despise antidepressants, actually i hate taking pill in general, always have, (if its not tasty and shaped like a Flinstone character i don't want it!) and i dont want to be on medication for the rest of my life! but the idea of a service dog makes me feel much better. im trying to think of pros and cons and maybe you guys can help. heres what i have.

Antidepressents:
Pros:
- easy to do, take a pill and your good for the day!
- eliminates anxiety, no need for therapy
- Its free! (provided by the goverment of canada, Natives get free meds)
- no longer having panic attacks or anxiety as often
-
Cons:
-Side effects
-constantly need pill refills
-over time the dosage needs to increase
- doesnt solve the problem,
-becoming dependent on the pill

Service/therapy dog
Pros:
- always have a companion
- deep pressure therapy
- tactile stimulation
-can be trained to wake me for school/work
- can tell when im anxious/ overwhelmed before i can
- can assist me out of a overwhelming situation
-crowd control
- keep strangers away
- can be trained to alert authorities ( i become suicidal frequently)
- Medication reminder
- while it doesn't eliminate anxiety, it helps me learn stratiges on my own, using the dog as a tool.
Cons:
- a lot of responsibility (which i already have a dog and love it)
- constantly having to buy food (already do)
- sometimes training facilities cost money
- May not be approved
- may become dependent on the dog

please give me some of your thoughts


_________________
Obsessing over Sonic the Hedgehog since 2009
Diagnosed with Aspergers' syndrome in 2012.
Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder Level 1 severity without intellectual disability and without language impairment in 2015.

DA: http://mephilesdark123.deviantart.com


Noca
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 9 May 2015
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,932
Location: Canada

18 Nov 2015, 7:24 pm

A combination of all 3, meds, therapy and a service dog if possible as well as supplements, exercise like yoga, meditation etc etc. Why rely on just one treatment option. I always say if you had 4 bowling pins to knock down, one in each corner of the room, would you try and knock them all down with one bowling ball? Or would you use as many bowling balls as you could?



BirdInFlight
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 8 Jun 2013
Age: 62
Gender: Female
Posts: 4,501
Location: If not here, then where?

18 Nov 2015, 8:10 pm

Personally, for me, I would definitely prefer having a service dog to having to being on medication as I hate the idea of medication for myself. I understand totally that people can benefit from it greatly or even very much need to have it in order to live, but I like to avoid taking anything if I possibly can.

Animals have a massively positive effect on me so it may be that the service dog might be all I need.

But I'm not you, so only you and any professionals who are helping you can decide if the dog alone would be enough or if you really need the help of medication for your particular level of anxiety and stress.



Jacoby
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 10 Dec 2007
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Posts: 14,284
Location: Permanently banned by power tripping mods lol this forum is trash

18 Nov 2015, 8:19 pm

Medication could be helpful but I wouldn't be interested in an SSRI antidepressant, I was very interested in getting a dog earlier this year but I'm kind of glad I didn't since it is a lot of responsibility and I feel overwhelmed enough as it is altho it would be nice to have to something that loves you and is happy to see all the time.