When a child’s behavior changes dramatically overnight, early recognition can make all the difference.
This 6-year-old daughter woke up with sudden, severe contamination OCD, separation anxiety, and aggressive outbursts. Her parents had no idea what was happening. A tip from another parent led them to learn about PANDAS, and a strep test—despite no typical symptoms—came back positive. She began treatment immediately and was officially diagnosed shortly after.
While the active strep infection has cleared, some OCD symptoms remain. Her family continues to advocate, raise awareness, and seek effective treatment. Their story highlights the importance of recognizing atypical strep presentations and pursuing timely care.
July 13th was a normal day. My kids and I went to a birthday party for my niece. Nothing was amiss. That night, my 6-year-old daughter went to bed, and when she woke up the next day, she was a different person.
On July 14th, she woke up with severe contamination OCD. No prior signs, just overnight. 0-100. She started washing her hands 20-57 times an hour. Suddenly, she had separation anxiety, her behavior regressed, and she was having tantrums and being aggressive/violent. She was saying things like, “I had a bad thought and I don’t know why,” or “I don’t want to wash my hands, but my brain is making me.” She would also ask, “Did I snot/spit/slobber?” over and over again, even though she wasn’t actually doing those things. We had no idea what was happening. The change was so sudden and so drastic.
Two days later, I posted in her due date group asking if anyone had any experience with something like this. Someone commented, saying, “This sounds like something called PANDAS.” I had never heard of it. Then late at night, I googled it, and it was as if I were reading about my daughter. The next morning, I called the pediatrician as soon as they opened and asked them to do a strep test. They asked if she had any strep symptoms, and I said that she did not, but she has a weird history with atypical strep. She went in, and the doctor said everything looked normal. No fever, no sore throat, throat looked healthy. They did the test anyway, and it came back positive. We started amoxicillin.
Six days later, she was officially diagnosed with PANDAS by her pediatrician. Since then, I have been doing my best to spread awareness. Posting on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, etc., because if someone hadn’t told me about it, I would’ve never even thought to test for strep. The active strep infection is gone, but the OCD remains. She got put on 30 days of Augmentin and 3 weeks of ibuprofen 3x a day. Some of the symptoms got a lot better, but the OCD remains. So far, we have been struggling to find help, but I’m hoping that soon we can find something that works.
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Gabriella True
