Thinking about getting a PSD (thoughts, stories, advice?)

[skytig]

Hi, I'm Sky, and I've been looking into possibly getting a Psychiatric Service Dog for the last couple months. I have rather severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in which I have huge amounts of difficulties stopping my repetitions and compulsions without outside help (usually from humans but it's starting to get to the point where I can tell it's not a good situation for me or my family and friends, as they can't always be there to tell me to stop or distract me). I have an inordinate amount of panic attacks. I have difficulties in social settings (though I've recently been diagnosed with mild aspergers, so it might be because of that) and I also have huge agoraphobia issues. I've worked with a therapist before where CBT lowered the symptoms and I was able to continue with my life even with the constant panic attacks and the compulsions and the checking. I'm now working with a therapist again (I was out for about three years because of insurance difficulties) and while I'm improving on some things, I'm still having huge amounts of difficulties. I've already tried some medications but I seem to be unbelievably side effect prone and they cause more issues than they help. Even with therapy (and I'm being sent to another one! for eating issues as well), I have difficulty finding and holding down a job, going to social events, hosting social events, and even with things as simple as going to the grocery store.

I've had dogs before that I was able to take care of even when under high stress. It seems to help if I have someone to focus on other than my own mind and fears. I understand the amount of work and care they require. I also recognize the fact that I will get stared at *more* but as I'm already an obvious physical gimp, I'm not sure I could get *more* stares.

I've read that PSDs can interrupt compulsions (which would be HUGELY helpful), alert you to panic attacks (I often don't realize I'm panicking until I'm seconds from having a complete and utter melt down, guide you during dissociative states (I sometimes stress so bad I can barely tell where I'm going or what I'm doing which if it happens outdoors or in parking lots, it quickly becomes dangerous), and initiate social contact(? I'm not certain if this is considered a 'task' or just a 'bonus').

I'm 22, and I'd really like to begin my life and I think a PSD would make it a lot easier and I was just wondering what people's thoughts were. I know some people who think it's a really great idea but I'd like to hear from people who have actually gone through the process and have a PSD (or even an SD) and if you think it would be a good fit? I am going to discuss this with my therapist at my next session but that's not for another week or so. Would I be a candidate?

[state_of_nowhere]

Whether or not you are a candidate is something only your physician can tell you. You must meet the legal definition of "disabled" in order to have a service dog. PSDs need to be the most stable (temperament wise) of all service dogs so that they do not feed off the handler's anxiety. It generally takes 2 years to raise and train a service dog and I don't recommend you take on owner training if you do not have advanced dog training experience. It is much, much harder to OT a PSD.

Contrary to what you might have read, dogs cannot alert to panic attacks. They may respond to them or signal you after the panic attack has started, but "alert" is a specific term that means the onset of something that hasn't happened yet is being predicted and dogs cannot predict panic attacks. Kirsten has a more thorough explanation of why this is so.

One thing I suggest you consider is that having a service dog attracts a LOT of attention and the job of the dog is to focus on you and help you do something you cannot do because of your disability. People are going to approach you (unsolicited), attempt to kick you out of places, and generally try to make your life more difficult (pointing, staring, ask you invasive questions, etc). You need to decide if you can handle this because many people with panic attacks and agoraphobia cannot.

I suggest you work at managing your conditions with therapy as much as possible. Panic attacks can be decreased and eliminated, but you have to re-train your brain. There is a book by Dr. David Carbonell called "The Panic Workbook" that I strongly suggest. Also consider less obvious causes of the panic - for example, food intolerances, vitamin deficiencies, etc.

[Roxie]

alert you to panic attacks

Kind of a dead give away one is having a panic attack: nervous - agitated - hyperventilating. All things that the one experiencing those things can notice!

>I know, I'm a smart aleck/Roxie, or actually a smart Equus africanus asinus put very simply<

State says it all in the post.

A diagnosis does not equal a disability! I notice you are a young'un. Have you thought about learning tricks of the trade to recognize, manage and cope with symptoms before you might think about getting a Service dog?

A SD is not the magic bullet that is the fix-all. It adds way more stress, worry, fear, anxiety than perhaps you understand. CBT is good! I've been in CBT every 1-2 weeks since around 1968 or so. I'm here to tell ya: it WORKS!!!! Just keep practicing to keep the skills honed! Focus on your wellness and recovery accomplishments rather than diagnosis labels!

I would consider all other options for yourself - not just one. That way you are making a wise and informed decision.

If you can't find and hold down a job, where do/will you live? How will you afford dog care and transportation to dog care - like in emergencies?

[skytig]

One thing I suggest you consider is that having a service dog attracts a LOT of attention and the job of the dog is to focus on you and help you do something you cannot do because of your disability. People are going to approach you (unsolicited), attempt to kick you out of places, and generally try to make your life more difficult (pointing, staring, ask you invasive questions, etc). You need to decide if you can handle this because many people with panic attacks and agoraphobia cannot.

I suggest you work at managing your conditions with therapy as much as possible. Panic attacks can be decreased and eliminated, but you have to re-train your brain. There is a book by Dr. David Carbonell called "The Panic Workbook" that I strongly suggest. Also consider less obvious causes of the panic - for example, food intolerances, vitamin deficiencies, etc.

I'm already stared at constantly, asked invasive questions constantly, and pointed at constantly. I do realize that people will try to kick me out of places but a lot of places that I go to I have seen service dogs around.

I've been having panic attacks for as long as I can remember and I've been trying to retrain my brain for the last five years. I've also read The Panic Workbook, The OCD Workbook, The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook, along with various meditation/relaxation books. I did find I have gluten and dairy intolerances but I keep to a strict diet and now avoid those foods. I'm also working on better nutrition (and being sent to a nutritionist) but I am still having difficulties. This may only be the second time I am in therapy, but the first time I was in therapy for two years and I've been back into therapy for a couple months again and even when I was released from therapy, I was still having a fair amount of difficulty.

Kind of a dead give away one is having a panic attack: nervous - agitated - hyperventilating. All things that the one experiencing those things can notice!

As someone who lives in a constant state of anxiety, it's not a dead giveaway for me. Often I'm at a state of heightened anxiety far before realizing it and the usual breathing and relaxation techniques don't work as well if at all during a full-blown attack.

<i>A diagnosis does not equal a disability! I notice you are a young'un. Have you thought about learning tricks of the trade to recognize, manage and cope with symptoms before you might think about getting a Service dog?</i>
I was diagnosed with OCD five, if not six, years ago. I've been insisting that I can power through this. And I keep trying and trying and I'm at the point where I feel like I'm running out of options. I've been in therapy before. I'm in therapy again. I've been trying to cope with the symptoms but it's not working out so well.

<i>A SD is not the magic bullet that is the fix-all. It adds way more stress, worry, fear, anxiety than perhaps you understand. CBT is good! I've been in CBT every 1-2 weeks since around 1968 or so. I'm here to tell ya: it WORKS!!!! Just keep practicing to keep the skills honed! Focus on your wellness and recovery accomplishments rather than diagnosis labels!</i>
I recognize that it's not a fix-all. I recognize and understand that it will be hard but I honestly think it might be worth it. I wouldn't have been researching for the last few months if I didn't think so! CBT works to a point with me. It stops me washing my hands for a bit, but then I start checking doors, then I start needing things to be done in a certain way and before I know it, I'm washing my hands again. And I've been practicing. For years.

I would consider all other options for yourself - not just one. That way you are making a wise and informed decision.

I really have been. Trust me. This isn't a snap thought or idea.

If you can't find and hold down a job, where do/will you live? How will you afford dog care and transportation to dog care - like in emergencies?

I'm living off of a settlement right now and I am good for the next twelve years. And I'm trying to begin a business from home (as in I have paperwork being filed, product made, etc. this is a serious thing). I would NEVER get a dog that I wasn't certain I could take care of. I also have my own car and my own place.

I apologize if I come off a little blunt, I really appreciate your thoughts and concerns! It's just that I've tried tons of things to help my anxiety and ocd and if I hadn't already tried them I wouldn't be looking into PSDs. I do get that there are people who just want a pet to take everywhere but I wouldn't do that.

[Magesteff]

Need to discuss a bit of terminology here. As the words are used here:

Alert: is a natural ability and cannot be trained, as we do not understand what event or signal the dog is sensing. Not all dogs have this ability and that includes Service Dogs.

i.e. siezure alert - People cannot tell when they are going to have a siezure, so what they train the dog for is a RESPONSE that happens after the event.

Signal: a trained response to something you do.  i.e. dog nudges you in response to you chewing your fingers, or tensing up, or lowering your head, or some other action that may include non-verbal actions you take before you have a problem that is more than you can deal with.  dog sees you tense up, dog nudges you to signal you that you are begining to show signs of stress or panic so that you may take appropriate action to stop the progression of the action be it petting the dog, moving to a quiet area, leaving the building or other things.

Response: a task or work the Service DOg is trained to take when specific things happen, be  it a verbal or non-verbal command, licking the face of the handler and remaining close to handler during a seizure and helping the Handler remain in a safe place as the handler recovers, leading the handler to a quiet area, to a car, outside of a building, nudging or pawing the handler when the handler is showing signs of stress, panic,  or the handler goes intoa a dissociative state.

A PSD is signalling to your panic attack before it becomes a full blown panic attack and does a response which helps you break free of it before you can become incapacitated.

People who are not familiar with Service Dogs call it alerting, in terms of letting you know something is happening, but here the word Alert has a different meaning.

[arrianya]

A thought I have, and this of course is one of my coping mechanisms that works for me at a rate of 85-99% (bad day vs good day) is to just talk.  I have several friends that when I notice I am getting into one of my "moods" I can call or text and talk to until I have what is on my mind out and in the open. 

I have had anxiety attacks on and off for 3 years now.  I have also been...not well emotionally (am not going to put the exact term so as not to trigger anyone by accident).  If I notice I am starting to get upset to the point of being in danger of an attack, or extremely depressed, I talk to one of my friends. And by getting what is on my mind off of it, I find that I tend to relax. My best friend of over 5 years has dealt with me from the time I first got depressed to this day, and I know that I can call him and yell or rant about whatever is on my mind and he will let me get it out of my system to where I am close to focused, and then I return the favor of his patience by letting him get his negative emotions out on the table as well.  We have done this for the last 4 years and both of us being objective helpers, meaning we set our problems aside to help others figure out their problems no matter what, makes it to where this works for us very well.

My major issue is being an over worrier.  I will look at every single negative outcome of a situation and by the time I realize I have pushed my boudary, most of the time I have gone too far.  I have also figured out that when I find myself dwelling too much on a subject, I instead pick up a book, or my ipod and read.  If I cant focus on what I am reading, I play a game.  Or I go to a group of friends online that are also objective about their moods.

NOW while these are not appropriate ways for everyone to cope, or a person is not as blessed as myself in my friends, they are a couple ideas to think on, and possibly try a few variations, such as blogging, writing poetry (or a story if you so choose), role playing online (something else I enjoy doing as rping allows a chance for me to visualize what I would want to do and I have found that doing so actually helps me get through a few of my moods as well).

Also, I have a SDiT.  He is primarily an alerter (more properly defined as a signal but medically recognized by most doctors as an alert)  to my sugar levels (yes there is much debate over this matter but he has done this since 8 weeks of age and has been encouraged properly to do so.), and going to be trained for mobility counterbalance work, he also responds positively to early stress levels that normally end in an anxiety attack. 

My therapist on my intake appointment, got to see the fact that he has naturally developed the ability to stay objective and find a way to get my focus on him and that shift in focus is enough for me to realize what is happening and use him as a focal point for grounding since as soon as he has my attention, I focus on our surroundings and his training rather than what was on my mind that got me close to my attack.

 She was very pleased with seeing him work, and noticing that he did it at early levels and thus let me get back in touch before losing control of myself and told me flat out that just from that alone she is very pleased with me and my dog.  He doesn't lose his head (most of the time.  He does have his puppy days though), doesnt freak out when I do, finds a way to refocus me (usually a poke if standing or if we are sitting, setting his head against my knee thus soliciting my attention, and does, give me that little bit of a nudge to focus enough to realize where I am attack wise and if I am close, I can get to my "safe places" (my vehicle or bedroom, to where I can be isolated for the attack and know that I am not in danger when I do because of being able to lock the vehicle or close my bedroom door and be on my bed so that my incapacitation is not a problem)

NOW again this does not mean that you are going to be able to use your dog thus.  I have trained myself to keep enough control of myself to get to that safe place, even if it means I have to focus on one thing to the exclusion of all other thoughts.  I don't expect my dog to ground me.  That is not his job and he does not have the capacity to do that as only I can ground myself.  What he does do is provides that small signal that allows me to realize what I am doing and take proper steps to ground myself or if I find it hard to ground, get myself to a safe place to have my meltdown.

Be realistic in exactly what you want the dog to do for you.  Write down a list of what you want that dog to do, and how you will implement other coping skills in response to what your dog has done. DO NOT!!!!  expect the dog to be a fix all.   I cannot stress this enough! I speak from the fact that I am OTing my dog, and that I have already developed the skills to cope with most of my issues and situations that they become a problem in.  All that he does is help me realize sooner what I would realize eventually so that I can implement more of my skills easier than I normally can and have a higher sucess rate.  He does the same thing that my friends have done. 

Look at it this way when making your list, and yes I am going to use some of Kirsten and others' analogies here; Is this dog going to do something that another human or a robot, or your cell phone, or your ipod/computer could do for you? If not then its probably not feasible for the dog to do it.  And when they say that it is VERY true.  Any one of my friends can tell I am getting worked up and anxious before I can.  My cell phone can provide a focal point for me to implement coping techniques by my being able to talk to or text one of my friends and talk it through.  My ipod can give me that one thought/activity to focus on to the point that all else drains from me. My computer can allow me to be stimulated more to interact with my environment by my figuring out what to do on it, where to go, and why I want to do it.  Mushu stimulating me to realize sooner, is amazing for me because I can then focus on what is at hand and not be stuck in my thoughts to the point that I cannot ground myself without the assistance of my friend or some kind of electronic device.

[skytig]

Thank you Magestaff. I tend to mess up terminology and I've looked on a few sites and a lot of people seem to be using 'signal' and 'alert' interchangeably.

To Arriyanna,
The thing about talking to my friends is that it's getting to the point where all I talk about to my friends is my anxiety issues and not about friend stuff. It's not fair to them to have me depending on them so heavily. And they can't be there during the 2am panic attacks, or the panic attacks that happen while out and about. I also blog, write constantly, and draw constantly.

I'm not expecting the dog to be a fix-all. I'm just hoping the dog will be able to allow me to function in public and actually interact with my friends as friends again.

I did talk to my therapist about getting a psychiatric service dog and she thinks it's a terrific idea and she thinks that one would be a huge help and she's going to work with me on finding one

[Roxie]

Hi, Sky!   Welcome!  Another artist joins the group!!!!!   YAY

About your therapist helping you find a dog - try a trainer or behaviorist or really good breeder instead. Most therapists have no clue about dogs used for Service Work!

I hope you are able to find a good trainer to coach you! I think it is awesome that your therapist is interested in SD's or ESA's and how they can help make community integration possible for people with mental illnesses! My therapists have always been supportive. All real curious and eager to learn.

[skytig]

Hi Roxie! Woot for artists!

My therapist is mostly giving me advice on where to start looking, she doesn't actually know how to train psychiatric dogs. I'm hoping I can find a center (preferably in New York or right around) that can help train me and the dog.

[arrianya]

I can understand there sky, as I have actually lost a few friends in my time just because of my being depressed or not wanting to hang out with them just because of their lack of common sense which would usually put us in high stress situations that got me close to attacks.

As far as finding someone you can talk to about your depression and what not besides your therapist, You have actually sort of taken the first step there by seeking out a way to find someone to talk to about it, or that small difference that can be the make or break for an attack happening.  Once I get to where I am emotionally stable (as in this week I am very easily angered) I would be willing to speak via email or messenger with you if you wish to try that route as a start.  I'll be 22 in Feb, so can completely understand and relate to most likely about 70% of what your going through as far as life in general.