Friend's son 10.5 has sudden onset of OCD traits and odd behaviors..help???

[Debnicolai]

HI everyone,

my best friend's son is 10.5 and has suddenly begun displaying odd OCD ish behaviors. Also becoming very moody and angry. He takes 3 steps forwards and then one back and says he has to 'reorganize' his brain...

He is doing all kinds of things. Evidentially it seems his mother (they do not live together) has had him on several courses of antibiotics recently. She is also a vaxer and basically a mainstream medical mill subscriber. If the ped says shoot him up, she does, no questions asked... :(   My friend is holistic, but has less time with his son, so he has been unable to convince her to try alternative methods, etc. He is beside himself with worry....

Does anyone know what this could be???

thanks!

[lindberg99]

PANDAS?? http://intramural.nimh.nih.gov/pdn/web.htm

[Cavy]

Last year I was sitting in a conversation between friends who both mentioned their 9-10yo boys doing stuff suddenly like this... and then outgrowing it a year or two later  The more experienced mum was adament that it was the sort of thing that happened very commonly among other family & friend's sons, at about the same age.

DH's brother is dating a paediatric neurologist who took a different view & said that if the odd behaviours lasted more than 2-3 weeks he thought the child should be checked out by a doctor, although yes indeed it could just be a normal phase, too.

It made me think long & hard, but as far as I know my friends with sons like this have not sought any medical aid and have been happy with that decision.  They would have consulted a doctor if there had been other problems present (by "problems" I mean I don't mean antiBs or vax).

[ASusan]

PANDAS is what I immediately thought, too.

[Cavy]

Ooh, that PANDAS thing is interesting.  And consistent with my friends' experiences, although they are glad they didn't make a big deal of it & they let their child outgrow it naturally.

Good luck however you decide to tackle it, OP.

[sbgrace]

My friend's daughter had that. Hers was PITANDS (like PANDAS but the infection was something other than strep). She actually had to work with a specialist doctor at a distance (telephone, he ordered labs or maybe their local doctor with his direction, he prescribed) who was an expert in this. Her daughter is doing great though it took a while to get the bacteria causing her symptoms gone. She's off antibiotics now and doing well. If you want my friend's contact information (for name of doctors, online resources/support, etc.) I am sure she'd be happy to communicate with you or your friend. Just give me a pm and I'll connect you.