We were delighted to welcome Lucy McDonald as our guest presenter for this month’s CAMHS Forum. Lucy is a child and adolescent psychotherapist who a special interest in PANS/PANDAS, an often misunderstood immune-mediated neuropsychiatric condition affecting children and adolescents. It is triggered by an infection or pathogen, and symptoms include OCD, anxiety, emotional and behavioural regression, and restrictive eating or eating-disorder–like presentations, which can emerge suddenly and without an expected developmental trajectory.
Lucy explored how these presentations are frequently misinterpreted within standard mental health frameworks, and the consequences this can have for assessment, treatment planning, family trust in services, and outcomes for the child or young person.
She discussed therapeutic approaches that can be helpful with this population, including talking therapies, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), with careful attention to pacing, safety, and collaboration with medical care. The central role of parental support, containment, and psychoeducation will be explored as key components of effective intervention.
Drawing on her clinical work, advocacy, and wider professional contribution, including hosting the PANS/PANDAS Stories podcast, Lucy spoke about the importance of advocating for this illness within mental health systems. She is the co-founder of an international group of mental health clinicians called the Mind Global Council who are hard at work developing therapeutic guidelines and conducting research into therapy for this population.
Attendees were given a clear, compassionate, and clinically grounded exploration of how PANS/PANDAS presents in practice, guidance on therapeutic interventions that support emotional wellbeing alongside complex medical needs, and thoughtful consideration of how professionals can work collaboratively with multi-disciplinary teams and families to promote understanding, resilience, and hope.
Therapists are at the frontline of identifying PANS/PANDAS so increasing awareness is key.
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