My daughter, 15, had 120 seizures a day – but doctors said she was simply ‘spending too much time on TikTok’

A MUM is claiming doctors blamed her daughter's rare neurological condition on her simply being allowed to 'watch too much TikTok'. Helen Huitson's daughter Jessica Huitson began experiencing 'strange' bodily movements in March 2021 and appeared 'unable to sit still'. Jessica, now 15, was unable to control her body and soon began developing verbal tics too, which ranged from repeating apologies to abusive language.

Around the same time that the Tourette's developed, Jessica began struggling with non-epileptic seizures , experiencing up to 120 a day. Despite being taken into hospital multiple times her mother said she was left distraught when doctors blamed the young girl's suffering on "anxiety". However, her 49-year-old mum was even more appalled when she claims they suggested her daughter was simply watching too much TikTok or she was 'faking it' by copying symptoms she had seen online.

Her experience came in the wake of British medics reporting that an 'explosion' of kids were developing tics as a result of the psychological pressures of the Covid lockdown. The business engagement manager says her daughter was finally privately diagnosed with PANDAS - Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections. PANDAS is believed to be an autoimmune disorder and neuropsychiatric condition promoted by an abnormal immune response to infection.

Charity PANDAS Network explains it most commonly occurs after a strep infection. It can cause brain inf.