Hi, Im new here today. I am trying to get a handle on what is going on with my daughter. In April, she had a radical personality change - almost overnight she went from an easy-going, outgoing kid to someone different. She began having angry outbursts and crying over everything, she became obsessed with getting sick and dying, and she started having panic attacks at school where I had to go pick her up. She also began to have trouble sleeping and began to have strange food issues - she chews her food a ton because she is afraid she will choke and she refuses to eat many normal foods. All of this began the week after she was diagnosed with strep. She was treated for the strep (the usual 10 days on antibiotics) and seemed to get better from the strep. Due to her personality changes, we took her to a psychologist who has disgnosed her with OCD and recommended medicine (Lexapro) and therapy. I am confused because I don't know if she has true OCD or PANDAS. She seems to have the obsessions, but not the compulsions I see described with PANDAS. I think it might be PANDAS due to the overnight onset of these behaviors. A few questions for anyone who might be available to answer:
If she was treated for strep, is it possible that this might still be PANDAS?
If she was treated for strep, would additional antibiotics be helpful?
Is it possible to have just the obessions/emotions of PANDAS/OCD and not any tics or compulsive behaviors? or could the compulsive behaviors be things that I don't see (like something in her head)?
If this is PANDAS/OCD, is the anxiety medicine necessary - it scares me to put my child on this medicine, but if it is necessary, I will do so.
Thank you to anyone who has insight.
