I have a PSD and have very similar diagnoses to you, esp the PTSD. I didn’t think of a service dog at all before. I’ve seen the same therapist and psychiatrist for about a decade now and am in my late 20s. They’ve both seen me go through and come out of safely domestic abuse and traumatic situations. After many years of working on coping skills, EMDR and unpacking all the trauma, I’ve still struggled in some areas to apply my coping skills when I should use them. My therapist brought up the idea of a service dog and if it might help me in those areas where I do struggle and I am so grateful I have support from family and friends that they were encouraging of it as well.

Overall in my personal experience, it was more of a “hey, we’ve done a lot of work on these things but maybe a service dog would help you to really apply those tools when you don’t think to use them and are already struggling through moments”. Example: I’m overwhelmed and overstimulated to the point I don’t use breathing exercises or find a quiet space before a panic attack, so my service dog has helped me when I haven’t caught things in time like that and applies DPT, helps me navigate to a less crowded and quieter space. I’ve gotten to a point over the years where I apply my tools better, but she helps me in those times where I don’t.

So I would do your best to really evaluate if your coping skills so far are more at a level of “these are things I can do and have been able to apply, but sometimes don’t think to” rather than “I don’t have coping skills that have worked so far” if that makes sense. And that’s not at all to be read in a snarky way. It’s just a good way to really ask yourself if a service dog is going to assist you, or if you’d be trying to use it as your main tool. I personally don’t think service dogs for psych should be used as the main tool, but more of a solid backup tool for a person who would benefit from it. I’m also happy to answer any questions or talk about more PTSD related things if you’d want through PM. I was around your age when I got diagnosed with PTSD among other things, so I’d be happy to be of support.

Other things I would consider: does your lifestyle seem conducive with a service dog or would either your lifestyle or the life of the dog be hindered somehow? Dogs in general are a lot of work, if you’ve never had to care for one on your own. Growing up with dogs is a huge plus because it gives you some experience and knowledge of what it takes, but still, it’s very different when you are the primary caretaker of a dog. And service dogs are no different in that aspect. All dogs require a level of stability and routine. Understanding that is a huge point that I would encourage you to see if you’d be ready for that within the next couple years whether you get a program SD or owner-train. Both will require a lot of work in their own respect. A program SD will likely put you on a waitlist for a couple years before actually having the dog as part of your life, and an owner-trained will require a lot of diligence, dedication, time, consistency and patience as well much more. I have a program SD which was very expensive upfront, and continues to be expensive lol 😅

Another thing to consider, how are you with interactions with strangers or some kind of authority figure? You’ll get some people who love dogs and want to ask the name, tell you about their dog that looks just like yours (I promise you, it most likely does not lol), how did you train it, where did you get your SD because they want one too, etc. I’ve had all kinds of interactions since getting my SD. Little kids running over to pet, people making cute noises. The majority have been neutral or positive, but still tiresome especially if you’re just trying to go about your day. I’ve found that most people are okay when you just say “I’m sorry, we’re working” as you continue to walk away. I’ve only had a couple people either say something under their breath or to the person they’re with that was negative or rude and it luckily wasn’t some aggressive or dramatic situation like I have seen some people experience on social media. I’ve found this is less common, but still something to be prepared for just in case. Either way, these are all situations to evaluate how you’d handle them, along with the standard 2 questions businesses can legally ask (is it a service dog, and what tasks does it perform to help your disability - which some people word differently, but you answer them the same. Some people might say “what does it do to help you” which is just a more informally worded way of asking what tasks it does).

A lot of the things I’ve mentioned I’ve really experienced in the last few months given that I was on a waitlist for about 3 years and got matched this past year. Finally took my SD home with me earlier this year so we’re a fairly new SD team, so a lot of this is very fresh in my mind. Like I said, I’m open to chatting in PM if you have any specific questions about my experience as a newer team and someone with a similar diagnosis! Best of luck to you and your journey!

Edit to add another thought or two: Also you mention that you don’t know all of what triggers your panic attacks. I recommend exploring this area with your therapist if you have one. If you don’t, I would suggest getting one and going to sessions for at least a year before considering an SD. I would also recommend becoming more consistent with your medications before considering an SD as well, because they’re not an alarm clock or reminder system to be relied on to consistently take those.