Puppy's Obsession Strikes Again

I looked up obsessive-compulsive disorder yesterday and found the following plus much more.

OCD: A psychiatric disorder in which anxiety is associated with preoccupation with unwanted ideas (obsession), and with persistent impulses to repeat certain acts over and over (compulsion).

Anxious thoughts or rituals a person feels they can’t control characterize obsessive-compulsive disorder. If a person has OCD, they may be plagued by persistent images or by the urgent need to engage in certain rituals. ...

An anxiety disorder in which a person has an unreasonable thought, fear, or worries that he or she tries to manage through a ritualized activity to reduce the anxiety. ...

All of these definitions describe Puppy. He has been having stronger than usual issues/anxieties this last week. Although it is always present, this strong presence in our home drains him and me on a daily basis. Puppy's obsession with wallets has been the most difficult thing for me to understand and yet he is the person having to endure this overwhelming disorder. I feel it is the most difficult obstacle in Puppy's life.

It appears to be that he is able to focus and function at a higher level than before he had the medicine switch in June. I am also noticing that Puppy's arguments are clearer when he tries to make his point and his responses are quicker.

But this comes with a negative side, too. He has never been diagnosed as having an OCD, I have labeled it; the definitions fit to a “T”. During his moments of deep thought on his wallet, this disorder takes over and reverses the statement I made above about him being able to focus and function… His thoughts consume him completely and it becomes very difficult to re-direct him away from the wallet.

However, Puppy and I have been blessed with an exceptional teacher who is excellent at her job. I had not met another person like her. She is confident, wonderful, in charge and responsible. Whenever she speaks, we (Puppy and I) listen. She has never steered me wrong. And I bring this up today, because without her, this weekend may have taken a turn for the worst. I have seen what Puppy’s obsession can do when it takes over and I did not want to see a repeat of the horrible week we had. She made herself available and was able to calm him down with just a simple phone call and the sound of her voice.

I don’t believe we will be able to take away Puppy’s obsession, but I have hope that we can keep him safe from himself at best. Re-directing and finding other interests for him will be not be easy but will be priority on my list.