A golden retriever named Nova has become the first dog to live full-time on a psychiatric ward - with her owner crediting the pet for saving her life.

Daisy, 21, spent five years in hospital battling severe anorexia, self-harming daily and struggling to speak to those around her.

But everything changed when she met Nova - who now lives alongside patients on the ward. 

The young woman, who was admitted to the hospital aged just 17, said she once believed she would spend the rest of her life in hospital.

'I honestly thought it would be something that I would be doing for the rest of my life. The rest of my very short life is what I thought,' she told the Daily Mail.

Daisy has struggled with her mental health since the age of 11 when she experienced a traumatic event that she still struggles to talk about to this day.

'I became incredibly anxious, I became agoraphobic, I was depressed, I started self-harming and I was just in a really, really bad headspace because of this trauma.

'So since then, it's been kind of a continuous snowball of me struggling more and more,' she explained. 

By the time Daisy was 17 her anorexia had become so bad that she had to drop out of school and be admitted to hospital.

She said she was 'completely bedbound' and forbidden from walking because she was so frail.

For the next four years, Daisy would not leave the hospital at all. Her mental health continued to spiral and she couldn't see a way out.

But, one day, when the young woman was at her lowest, a doctor threw her a lifeline.

Daisy begged the woman to give up on her, but she refused.

'She said "I'm not going to. I'm going to stick by you". And nobody's ever said that,' she recalled.

After building up trust with the woman, Daisy mentioned her dream of having a dog, something which is unprecedented in a hospital.

But the woman told Daisy if she could get the other patients onside and prove that she could be a responsible owner, then she was in with a chance.

And so, the youngster got started.

She hadn't been outside in years and would need to conquer her fear to be in with a chance of getting a dog.

For months, she undertook intense exposure therapy and proved she could be a responsible owner.

She also gained consent from other patients, did a presentation to a Multi Disciplinary Team at the hospital, and wrote up a care plan.

And after three months of work, Daisy was told the hospital would let her have a dog.

Recalling telling the news to her father, Daisy said: 'I was like, "daddy, guess what? I'm getting her. Finally, after years and years and years". He burst into tears and he said "oh, my darling girl's going to be okay".'

And he was right.

Daisy said the difference before she got Nova and after is like 'night and day'.

'I was having self-harm incidents multiple times every day, being restrained by staff for long periods of time, I was not myself,' Daisy said.

'I wouldn't talk, I was hurting myself, I was wanting my life to end completely. And since having her, I have been completely self-harm free, which is a big thing.

'She just changed my life,' Daisy said.

'As soon as I laid eyes on her, I just felt safe and I felt okay. I thought maybe it's not the end of the world. Maybe I can do this.'

And it isn't only Daisy's life Nova has transformed but the lives of other patients on the ward.

'All the patients love her. Sometimes when they're feeling really down, they ask to spend time with her and can play with her in the garden,' Daisy said.

'All the other patients are benefiting from her as well. Which is really lovely.'

She added how having Nova has completely changed her routine and walking her has given her a reason to get out of bed.

Nova is now in training to become a mental health assistance dog, and is learning how to best support Daisy when she leaves hospital. 

'Eventually one of the things we're going to be working on is that if I'm in my own place when I'm discharged and I'm having an incident or an episode, she'll be able to retrieve medication for me,' Daisy said.

'Also, I find things like being in like crowds really difficult. So I'm currently teaching Nova to circle me to create more space so that I don't have to be so anxious.'

Daisy believes emotional support animals have the power to change 'many people's lives' and could even prevent some from needing hospital treatment in the first place.

She hopes her story will inspire hospitals to explore alternative treatment options.

Five years after arriving on the ward believing she would spend the rest of her life in hospital, Daisy can now finally imagine a future beyond it and she expects to be discharged soon.

'I've spent a very, very long period of my life in hospital. And I'm now at the point where I'm like, I can see myself out of these walls, which I never would have said before,' she said.