10/08/2026
⚠Did your child seem to change almost overnight?
👉New tics, obsessive thoughts or behaviors, and intense anxiety can be scary—especially when they appear after strep throat.
PANDAS stands for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections. For some children, a sudden onset or worsening of OCD symptoms or tics following strep may point to PANDAS.
PANS stands for Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome. It involves sudden OCD symptoms or severely restricted eating, along with other sudden changes such as anxiety, mood changes, or movement symptoms. It can have triggers other than strep.
The key sign is a dramatic change over days, rather than symptoms that develop gradually.
If this sounds familiar, write down when symptoms began and any recent illnesses, then ask your child’s doctor about PANS/PANDAS. Your observations matter. 💚
