A schoolgirl went from being her usual "happy, confident and bubbly" self to "terrified and screaming" overnight.
Pearl Gallagher, 10, was being treated for a simple case of tonsillitis when she began suffering horrendous panic attacks and fits of anxiety in June 2021. Unbeknown to her, she had been struck down with PANDAS Syndrome, a rare condition which causes sufferers to develop obsessive-compulsive symptoms and dramatic mood swings seemingly out of the blue following a streptococcal infection.
For nine months her family struggled to find an answer to her problems, as doctors believed the St Paschal Baylon Catholic Primary School pupil was suffering from a mental illness. But no matter how many forms of therapy Pearl tried, she remained plagued with anxiety and fear.
