An emotional support animal (ESA), assistance animal, or support animal, is a companion animal that a medical professional says provides some benefit for a person disabled by a mental health condition or emotional disorder. Emotional support animals are typically dogs, but are sometimes cats or other animals. People who qualify for emotional support animals have verifiable psychological disabilities that substantially interfere with major life activities, such as anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, or panic attacks. An emotional support animal differs from a service animal.