Mass Hysteria Among Schoolchildren

Outbreak Investigation of a “Mystery Illness” Among Students in a Coastal School in North Kerala, India

“…3, 6 The sudden clinical improvement in symptoms, preponderance in girls, and failure of an extensive epidemiological investigation to detect an organic cause point to mass hysteria. 5 However, the time duration of six hours between the index case and the last case patient was atypical for mass hysteria. During the discussion, another differential diagnosis of harmful algal blooms (HABs) emerged.…”

COVID-19 and the Political Economy of Mass Hysteria

“…The empirical evidence of mass hysteria, i.e., collective anxiety due to a perceived threat, dates back at least to the Middle Ages [30,31] and continues to numerous cases in modern times [32][33][34][35]. One of the most famous cases is a hysteria that developed after a radio play written by Orson Welles, War of the Worlds, was broadcasted in 1938.…”

Characteristics of Adolescents Affected by Mass Psychogenic Illness Outbreaks in Schools in Nepal: A Case-Control Study

“…However, the present study did find that childhood trauma, especially physical abuse, was a robust predictor of caseness in MPI outbreaks in Nepal. Although studies assessing the effect of childhood abuse on case status in MPI are sparse, some studies have identified childhood trauma (i.e., death of a family member or close friends) and parental divorce, as significant predictors of MPI (20,65). However, other studies have not found a significant association between MPI and traumatic events (66) or grief (67).…”