News on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
PANDAS and PANS: About Acute-Onset OCD
Child Mind Institute looks at "New category, new thinking, old controversy."
OCD Awareness Week
On the blog Easy to Love But Hard to Raise, a mom of a child with OCD gives herself some important reminders.
A Teacher's Guide to OCD in the Classroom
Advice from the Child Mind Institute. (12/1/11)
The Characteristics of Early-Onset OCD
A post from About.com OCD looks at a study in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines. (8/2/11)
Neuropsychological Function in OCD
From About.com OCD: "It is increasingly clear that many forms of mental illness are accompanied by deficits in neurological functioning. A recent study in the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry sought to examine differences in the neuropsychological profile of patients with OCD versus healthy controls using a comprehensive neuropsychological battery." (5/13/11)
OCD in Children is Associated with Trauma
From About.com OCD: "Like most forms of mental illness, OCD is often associated with the experience of traumatic events such as death of a parent or serious illness in childhood. A study recently published in the Journal of Anxiety disorders sought to measure the incidence of trauma among children with OCD compared to a sample of their peers who did not have a diagnosis of OCD." (2/9/11)
OCD Impacts the Family
From About.com OCD: "Both OCD and major depressive disorder are mental illnesses associated with a high degree of functional impairment and disability. What often gets lost in the mix, however, is the impact of these illnesses on family members." (1/27/11)
The Brains of People with OCD may be Poorly "Insulated"
From About.com OCD: "A study published in the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience reports that people with OCD may have abnormal myelination of neurons in specific brains regions." (12/4/10)
Parenting a Child With OCD
From About.com OCD: "While it can sometimes feel overwhelming, many parents develop excellent coping strategies for managing both their child's OCD symptoms as well as their own stress levels." (5/14/10)
Could P.A.N.D.A.S. be to blame for your child's OCD?
From Autisable: "I had first heard of this disorder 10 years ago when my older boy had had a bout of sudden onset anxiety after suffering with strep throat. I had seen it discussed as a new theory on a television show. I immediately googled it and found little information at the time but it all fit so precisely to what we were experiencing at the time." (3/18/10)
Wrong type of help from parents could worsen child's OCD
From Science Blog: "For most parents, soothing a child's anxiety is just part of the job. But for a parent whose child has obsessive-compulsive disorder, soothing anxiety and helping with behaviors linked to the disease could lead to more severe symptoms, University of Florida researchers say." (6/17/09)
Do OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and Autism Go Together?
From About.com Autism: "Sometimes, special interests are a great source of opportunity. Sometimes they're a serious problem. What's your experience with autism and special interests?" (6/16/09)
Is Childhood OCD a Developmental Disorder?
From About.com OCD: "This study, which summarized the findings of a large number of neuroimaging studies, found that childhood-onset patients exhibited dysfunction of a specific brain circuit that was not apparent among adults who developed OCD later in life." (5/14/09)
New A&E Reality Series Highlights OCD
From About.com OCD: "On Monday, May 25, 2009, A&E will be launching a new reality television show called 'Obsessed' which examines the real-life struggles of people with anxiety disorders including OCD." (5/6/09)
OCD and Nutrition
From About.com OCD: "A recent study published in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders describes a case study in which a special nutritional formula was used to improve the outcome of psychotherapy in a male participant with severe OCD." (4/9/09)
Does Serena Williams Have OCD?
From About.com OCD: "Tennis star Serena Williams recently made headlines by claiming to have a 'slight case of OCD.' Williams indicated that she although she has not been officially diagnosed by a health professional, she feels she has OCD based on getting angry easily, being perfectionist, liking order and being obsessed with things such as doing her nails." (2/2/09)
Could OCD be an Autoimmune Disorder?
From About.com OCD: "Although we usually think of OCD as being caused by a combination of stress, genetic factors and an imbalance of neurochemicals, some childhood forms of OCD including PANDAS are known to be triggered by an autoimmune reaction toward the brain." (1/27/09)
Brain Changes in OCD
From About.com OCD: "A recent study in the journal Biological Psychiatry has found that people with OCD show a small reduction in the size of particular areas of the brain." (1/5/09)