PANDAS

[Guest Guest_Christine]

My son is 6yrs old & received a psychiatric evaluation. The psychiastrist thinks it may be PANDAS upon results of bloodwork. He is afraid to swallow food & have been to the ER 2times. He started eating after 5 days but still not normal.

The psychiatrist at the hospital wanted me to admit him, however I think the onset of the OCD was triggered by separation from his parents for he started school full day. I thought it would be a bad idea to be separate him from the parents for it may had made it worse.

She suggested I seek a psychiatrist, but come to find out I cannot seek a psychiatrist immediateley.

Does someone out there have any suggestions as to seek imeediate attention before I do have to hospitalize him.

I can't let another day go by with him being like this.

[Sheila]

Christine, I'm sorry -- I just saw your note. Please send me an email and put PANDAS in the subject line, and I will see if we can come up with any answers. If you want to call me, we can arrange that by email.

 

Send the email to Sheila@Latitudes.org

 

I am sorry you are going through such a difficult time with your little boy. I hope things are already starting to improve.

 

Best wishes, Sheila

[eli]

I keep seeing the word PANDA, could someone explain what exactly that stands for?

 

Thank-You

[tictoc]

I keep seeing the word PANDA, could someone explain what exactly that stands for?

 

Thank-You

9426[/snapback]

 

 

PANDAS is a relatively "new" diagnostic category, so there is not as much literature as other related disorders. For starters, see: http://www.childadvocate.net/PANDAS_treatment.htm

 

"Introduction: There has been a subset of young children who have been noted to abruptly develop Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and/or tic disorders, such as Tourette’s Disorder, in association to a recently documented Group A Beta-hemolytic Streptococcal (GABHS) infection. It was found that these children have a condition termed Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections (PANDAS), which has unique criteria and characteristics differentiating it from classic childhood OCD or tic disorders.

 

PANDAS as a separate identity:

 

The working criteria for the diagnosis of PANDAS was modified through a study which identified the first 50 cases of PANDAS:

 

“Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections: Clinical Description of the First 50 Cases” by Susan E. Swedo et al Am J Psychiatry 155:2, Feb 1998.

 

The five criteria established are as follows:

 

1. Presence of OCD and/or tic disorder – the patient must meet lifetime diagnostic criteria (DSM V) for OCD or tic disorder

 

2. Pediatric onset – symptoms first evident between ages 3 and beginning of puberty

 

3. Episodic course of symptom severity – clinical course consists of abrupt onset psychiatric symptoms or dramatic symptom exacerbation

 

4. Association with GABHS infection – lifetime pattern of symptom exacerbation must be temporally related to GABHS infection (diagnosed via throat culture or rise in antibody titers)

 

5. Association with neurological abnormalities – abnormal neurological exam (i.e. – choreiform movements or tics) during exacerbation "