A book called Saving Sammy: Curing the Boy Who Caught OCD was released this past fall. In a nutshell: The book tells of a mother's journey to save her son, whose behavior suddenly and dramatically changed. Doctors recommended that he be institutionalized, but Sammy's mother was certain there was a medical illness that caused the change in her child. It turns out that she was right. After a year of upheaval, he was diagnosed with PANDA (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Strep). Once the strep was treated, his symptoms were gone! (Children with PANDA may not even have the typical sore throat associated with strep.) Patients with PANDA may exhibit:
OCD behaviors (which can include repetitive behaviors, excess fear of germs, hair pulling, eating disorders, motor and verbal tics, etc.)
ADHD symptoms
Separation anxiety
Mood changes
Sleep disturbance
Night-time bed wetting and/or daytime urinary frequency
Fine/gross motor changes
Joint pains
On the link below you will find an amazing video of an interview with the mother and son on the Today show:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/
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