By Phil Vinter PUBLISHED: 09:39 EST, 29 March 2012 | UPDATED: 12:13 EST, 29 March 2012 David Beckham and Paul Gascoigne are just two of the 1.2 million British people who suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) which leaves those afflicted neurotically obsessed about things such as tidiness or cleanliness. A mental health organisation is now expanding research to see if a strain of bacteria may cause children to develop a particular condition with OCD-type symptoms. The study by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIH), based in Maryland, United States, will see if there is a link between Streptococcus bacteria and a condition called Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS).
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Study will look for link between Streptococcus bacteria and OCD
Scientists think that after it detects a @placeholder infection, the body's immune system responds by creating antibodies which sometimes mistakenly attack the heart, joints, and brain.
The @placeholder hopes the study will improve diagnosis and treatment.