I didn’t always have a cat.
When Darlene and I were still married, and the kids had reached adolescence and no longer wanted anything to do with their parents, Darlene got a dog. Against my better judgment.
Not a real dog, like a German Shepherd or Labrador Retriever. She got a little fluffy lap dog. To this day, I can’t tell you what breed it was. Just a little fluffy lap dog. Named Lassie.
Did I mention that Darlene and I are no longer married? I can’t blame that outcome entirely on the dog. But things at our house definitely took a turn when Darlene started letting Lassie sleep in our bed.
Surveys suggest that about 47% of Colorado households include at least one dog, while about 29% of households include at least one child. So that says something about Colorado.
The surveys don’t mention, however, where these dogs sleep.
Nor do they mention how many of the dogs have OCD. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
Back in 1989, psychiatrist Judith L. Rapoport wrote a best-selling book entitled, The Boy Who Couldn’t Stop Washing: The Experience and Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. While it’s hard to believe a book with such a long title could become a bestseller, approximately 1% of Americans were dealing with a stressful problem that very few people were talking about — until Dr. Rapoport published her book.
In many cases, the children and adults mentioned in Dr. Rapoport’s book compulsively washed their hands… repeatedly, numerous times a day. In fact, some spent most of the day washing their hands.
This behavior is seen as a problem, even though it obviously prevents these individuals from compulsively scrolling on their phones. These days, we’re not sure which is the bigger problem.
At the time her book came out, Dr. Rapoport was head of child psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and already had years of experience with mental unhealthiness. (In other people.) She ultimately became a big proponent of treating OCD with an antidepressant called clomipramine. (Note: Common side effects include dry mouth, dizziness, constipation, weight gain, and sedation. The “sedation” part might be especially meaningful. Weight gain, not so much.)
After the news program “20/20” ran a segment on her book, 250,000 parents called in, worried that their children might have OCD. This was, of course, years before compulsory phone use became a problem.
Dr. Rapoport continued making the rounds on national talk shows — Oprah Winfrey, Phil Donahue, Larry King, etc. — but it was an interview on Diane Rehm’s radio show that led her OCD research in a new direction. Multiple listeners called in to talk about how their dogs licked their paws obsessively, continuing, in some cases, until their skin turned raw.
“Could it be OCD?” they asked.
The answer was “well… maybe”. Just to be clear, the children with OCD, studied by Dr. Rapoport, didn’t lick their hands; they usually washed them in a sink, with soap.
The dogs, meanwhile, were not using soap. So, maybe not OCD?
Dr. Rapoport nevertheless began making house calls on doggie patients and found that some of the pets responded well to the use of her favorite anti-depressant. (With similar side effects.) The dogs that didn’t respond were, of course, removed from the research conclusions.
For some reason, cats were left out of the pet research. But we already know that cats are mentally unwell.
“I was impressed how stimulating television appearances were for our research at NIMH,” Dr. Rapoport said in a 1998 interview. “You don’t usually think about television talk shows as a source for your next study…”
(Actually, I often think of TV talk shows in that manner.)
So, to bring this all around to Darlene’s dog Lassie, who compulsively licked her paws.
All night long.
Darlene got custody of Lassie in the divorce settlement. Perhaps the only good thing that came out of the settlement, from my perspective.
If only I’d known more about anti-depressants while we were still married.
Underrated writer Louis Cannon grew up in the vast American West, although his ex-wife, given the slightest opportunity, will deny that he ever grew up at all. You can read more stories on his Substack account.