I know nobody here is my doctor and that would be how I’d actually know if I qualify. At the end I explain I just want to hear from people similar to me what their experiences have been. Thank you all!

So I have pretty bad depression, anxiety and PTSD. I had a bad childhood (alcoholic/abusive dad, abusive step fathers) and I also was sexually assaulted when I was 16. I’m 20 years old now (female).

I don’t have bad anxiety all the time. I can go to the grocery store if I have somebody with me. I can usually go into small shops by myself where I know everybody can see me, but only after hyping myself up, sometimes over the course of days. But i can’t go to big stores by myself without having a full blown anxiety attack. I feel like I’m gonna be abducted or sex trafficked. Everyone thinks I’m overreacting but the thought of going places alone scared the crap out of me.

The smallest things can set off my anxiety to the point it gets hard to breathe, and scares me a lot. I find myself staying in the house and avoiding things because I don’t want to deal with the anxiety of it all.

I’ve tried therapy. Next step is meds. But I don’t really like the idea of them because all of my sisters meds (anxiety, PTSD, depression, bipolar disorder) have made her feel “empty” as she calls it. Like she can’t feel anything.

I work at a guide dog organization, and I want to mention that so y’all don’t think I glorify service animals, because I know a LOT of people do. I know they can be an inconvenience, are expensive, and sometimes create more anxiety than they alleviate. I’m also a dog groomer, with multiple dogs, so I know the struggles that come with dogs as well. This is also how I know that dogs are the best way for me to relax and feel normal and happy. But this doesn’t help me when I’m in public and have an attack. I wanted to hear from some people here that have a psychiatric service dog what their experience has been.

Would anybody be willing to share with me? Thank you in advance.