who are these docs? what are they looking at?

[eljomom]

I get updates from a group called Tourettes, Pandas and Mental Health, and after seeing a post about a "new study" completed by Dr. Leckman that says there is no link between pandas and strep, or something like that---i went and read the study. well, it was an old study, which Leslie Packer points out, but she does say this in her reply to a pandas parent who commented, and I am wondering (other than the abstract about pandas ocd vs. non-pandas ocd symptoms) if anyone knows what she might be referring to here as far as diagnostics ,etc. goes:

 

"There is no doubt that some children have an exacerbation following an infection, but that doesn’t prove that PANDAS is a unique disorder or that the field has the diagnostic criteria correct. Other approaches to identifying or diagnosing PANDAS, such as those explored by Drs. Bernstein, Victor, and their colleagues in Minnesota may actually take us in a different direction that might be more fruitful. "

[momx3]

They work at University of Minn. I get their news letter .I have not seen any thing about Pandas .I believe they did research about Anxiety in young children.

[GraceUnderPressure]

A preliminary search didn't reveal much to be excited about so far as I can see. They did this study -

Comparison of clinical characteristics of pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections and childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20807071

 

Where they concluded: Distinguishing clinical characteristics in PANDAS, which included urinary urgency, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and deterioration in handwriting, are linked to basal ganglia functions. These clinical characteristics will aid in the differentiation of PANDAS children for research and clinical purposes and ultimately advance our understanding and treatment of this disorder.

 

I thought these distinguishing issues were already known?

 

And then I came across this -

Researchers explore the genetic roots of pediatric OCD as a step toward better treatment

http://www.ahc.umn.edu/patients/ocd/index.htm

Where it mentions they are putting together a heredity-type study for prediction that doesn't look particularly helpful, IMO, either. But then that's because I already have my affected child(ren) and would prefer TREATMENT research at this point so I will admit a bias...

[eljomom]

I second that Grace! It all goes back to the frustration of WHO CARES what the heck it is called!!! Just figure out how to TREAT it for crying out loud I know, of course there needs to be proper diagnostics, etc. but for those who are already believed to have been diagnosed, we need treatment. Maybe they could divide and conquer---put some people on the "let's find a name" circuit, some on the diagnostics path, and then the really, really knowledgeable ones on the TREATMENT area?? Sorry, had to vent