Symptoms and Diagnosis of OCD
The National Institute of Mental Health gives an overview of the symptoms associated with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and diagnostic approaches.
Signs & Symptoms
People with OCD generally:
- Have repeated thoughts or images about many different things, such as fear of germs, dirt, or intruders; acts of violence; hurting loved ones; sexual acts; conflicts with religious beliefs; or being overly tidy
- Do the same rituals over and over such as washing hands, locking and unlocking doors, counting, keeping unneeded items, or repeating the same steps again and again
- Can’t control the unwanted thoughts and behaviors
- Don’t get pleasure when performing the behaviors or rituals, but get brief relief from the anxiety the thoughts cause
- Spend at least 1 hour a day on the thoughts and rituals, which cause distress and get in the way of daily life.
Diagnosis
The course of the disease is quite varied. Symptoms may come and go, ease over time, or get worse. If OCD becomes severe, it can keep a person from working or carrying out normal responsibilities at home. People with OCD may try to help themselves by avoiding situations that trigger their obsessions, or they may use alcohol or drugs to calm themselves. OCD can be accompanied by eating disorders, other anxiety disorders, or depression.
Editor: When symptoms come on suddenly or when you notice a connection with a viral or bacterial infection, the possibility of PANS/PANDAS should be considered.
My 9 year old daughter has had brief to mild anxiety since she started school and it would get better at times and controllable. She started with checking dates on food as she was afraid to get stomach virus this past year. Not sure exactly when it started maybe March time frame, but at the end of the school year, June 30th she came down with some kind of viral infection that lasted about 8 days. During this time the germ fear escalated to the point where she is uncontrollable with washing hands, using 3-4 spoons for one bowl of cereal, not eating something because she said her hand touched it, and the behavior that is associated with it is unbearable, plus her sadness and crying during these episodes. It happens every day since end of June when she first got sick. I know anxiety come in different forms and she did have some issues with checking dates, etc, but nothing to the degree it is now. I read about PANDAS in regards to a viral infection. My daughter did get a strep test when we took her to the doctor but it was negative. Does nayone have any comments on this. Could the viral infection taken her anxiety to the full blown germ related OCD. We do not want to entertain medication and are looking for success stories.
Hi mrose– I’m very sorry to hear about the crisis your daughter is in. Yes, an infection can cause it. To receive the most feedback for this, I suggest you post this on the Forum for PANDAS and explain what you are looking for. The members there will be able to share ideas with you.
Just copy what you wrote and paste it as a “new topic” — you will see a black button near the top of the forum page that says Start New Topic. It is easy. If you have trouble, send another comment. This is the link to go to:
http://latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showforum=17
(Or click forums at the top of this page in the blue bar, and look for the PANDAS forum.) As long as you are logged in–it is free–you will be able to post.
Wishing you lots of luck in finding help for your daughter right away.