Heart of Gold

Dean was not well on this beautiful summer day.  He was not well for some time.  He called in sick every day and found any way to not go outside his apartment, let alone his apartment building.  He lived alone and kept in touch with the outside world by phone and email.  He just refused to go out.  This made him sad, but but he did not know what to do because he did not know what exactly was wrong with him.

One day, Dean came across an advertisement online for telemedicine in psychiatry.  What is telemedicine, he thought to himself.  He explored the doctor featured in the ad.  She specialized in anxiety and depression with additional treatment in phobias, especially agoraphobia.  What is agoraphobia, he thought to himself.  The doctor's website stated the definition of agoraphobia as extreme fear of being in public or crowded places, leaving one's home, or being in places from which escape is difficult.  This fear causes intense panic and helplessness.  This phobia is generally self-diagnosed, there is no cure, and can last for years or lifelong.

"Hmm.  This sounds familiar," Dean thought out loud.

He wrote down every emotion he felt when he looked outside.  He wrote down every reason he considered to not leave his home.  He wrote down the contact information for the doctor.

The next day, Dean called Dr. Carol Sands for an initial diagnosis by phone.  He was very detailed with his symptoms.  Dr. Sands knew immediately what Dean suffered from - Panic Disorder and agoraphobia.  As of the initial consult, they spoke by phone weekly for care and therapy.

Knock, knock

"Who is it?" Dean called out.

"Hi Dean!  It's Rick!"

Dean opened the door to a rather shocking surprise.

Rick trained dogs for service to disabled people - whether physical or psychiatric.  He was close with Dean and knew Dean had not been well for quite some time.  So he had an idea.

"Dean, I would like to introduce you to Jules.  She is a one-year-old Golden Retriever.  I have been training her for psychiatric service.  She is especially helpful for those with chronic anxiety and fear.  Now, I'm not saying..."

Dean was not listening to Rick because he was so engaged with Jules...outside of his apartment.

"You can keep her if you want."

"Really?!"

"Yep, but on one condition.  Let her do her job for your condition."

With those words in mind, Dean did exactly that.  He took Jules outside everyday for necessary exercise and potty breaks.  He took Jules to the local park to play.  He took Jules to public places that must allow service dogs.  He went out.

With the help of Dr. Sands and Jules, Dean began a slow but certain recovery from his agoraphobia and Panic Disorder.

Jules truly had a heart of gold.