Paradigm breaking is how science makes major advances, not just by incremental steps and especially not by adhering to the consensus.

Key concept: Thousands of sick kids around the country were being treated with psychiatric medications while the underlying cause of their illness—inflammation—went unnoticed.

Summary: Medics can't figure out what's wrong with the patient. Boy, 10 years old, gets concussion and falls victim to rapid onset severe personality change. Medics are stumped - all tests come back negative. Shrinks prescribe psycho drugs, which don't help. Mom in support group tells kid's parents how infections can make concussions worse. Find out that two days of antibiotics do help after five months of struggle. Diagnosis: PANDAS - pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infections. Experts say the disorder doesn't exist. Hero researcher recognizes a sobering possibility: Thousands of sick kids around the country were being treated with psychiatric medications while the underlying cause of their illness—inflammation—went unnoticed. Fixes problem at severe risk to career. The hypotheses they were testing placed them at the margins of their disciplines and at odds with mainstream medicine. Kid is now in remission. Researcher gets funding and enormous workload.

The wired.com story is behind a paywall. Use the archived version if you don't have a subscription to the magazine.

https://www.wired.com/story/a-boy-his-brain-and-a-decades-long-medical-controversy/

https://archive.is/slDzD