Bristol boy referred to specialist after family seeks help for PANDAS

Lucas, now 10, developed scarlet fever in 2025 and became anxious and violent a few weeks later, the BBC reports. His mother, Laura Sharp, said he had also experienced suicidal thoughts.

“My son was out of school. He was violent, he was aggressive, he was a danger to himself. We didn’t know what to do,” she told the BBC. The broadcaster said Lucas had been too frightened to leave his home for the past six months.

The BBC reports that Lucas has PANDAS, or paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections. His GP did not diagnose the condition, and the family spent thousands of pounds seeing a private paediatric neurologist. Lucas has since been referred to a specialist at Bristol Children’s Hospital.

PANDAS is associated with streptococcal infections, including scarlet fever. Symptoms can include a sudden onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder or tics, as well as anxiety and changes in behaviour. An infection followed by symptoms does not, on its own, establish what caused them. The US National Institute of Mental Health says there is no laboratory test that can confirm PANDAS or the related syndrome PANS, and diagnosis may require a thorough assessment.

NHS England told the BBC there was no agreed medical definition of the conditions or agreement on how best to treat them. In a statement published by the PANS PANDAS Steering Group, two NHS England clinical directors said in December 2025 that both were recognised clinical syndromes, while noting the lack of disease-specific biomarkers and definitively established mechanisms.

The government said in September that the steering group was developing clinical guidance and supporting education, research and awareness of the conditions.