Can strep throat cause OCD?

A growing body of research into a disorder called PANDAS suggests that some mental illnesses could be fought with simple penicillin

A child gets a strep test from a pediatrician
(Image credit: Frank Siteman/Science Faction/Corbis)

Almost all kids come down with strep throat, and the vast majority of them suffer nothing more than a few days of fever, sore throat, and missed school. Some kids, though, seem to recover then suddenly develop a tic, extreme anxiety, or symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) — a condition known as PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcus). "Parents have used the word 'possessed,'" says leading PANDAS researcher Susan Swedo at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), one of the first people to link strep to OCD in the mid-1990s. "Their sweet, wonderful child turns into a monster seemingly overnight." Here's a guide to the puzzling, controversial disorder:

What exactly is PANDAS?

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