Strep Throat Could Trigger Debilitating Mental Illness In Kids

HOLLISTON (CBS) – Just about every kid comes down with strep throat at one time or another, but what many parents don’t realize is that common ailment could trigger a debilitating mental illness. That’s what happened to 18-year-old Patrick Dillon of Holliston. When he was in elementary school he suddenly developed severe obsessive-compulsive disorder and became paranoid. Patrick Dillon. (WBZ-TV) “He couldn’t be in the same room with his sisters,” his mother, Heather recalled. “My sister Susie especially. I wouldn’t go near her. I thought she was like, toxic,” Patrick told WBZ-TV. Patrick’s behavior was devastating to his parents and five siblings and it seemed to come out of nowhere. “He completely changed. He was crying a lot, screaming a lot and I would ask him ‘What’s the matter?’, and he would say, ‘I don’t know,’” his father Bill remembered. Heather and Bill took their son to several different doctors, but none had an answer until they went to see a neurologist who suggested it could be PANDAS or Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infections. A recent documentary tells the stories of several families whose children suffer from PANDAS. Dramatic video shows violent outbursts and children with verbal ticks and other obsessive compulsive symptoms. Parents described how the diagnosis has thrown their family into chaos. “Your normal life is suddenly gone, overnight. Your friends don’t underst...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Boston News Health Healthwatch Seen On WBZ-TV Syndicated Local Dr. Mallika Marshall IVIG OCD PANDAS Source Type: news