Mass Psychogenic Illness: Contagion of Real Symptoms Through Social Connection
TL;DR
- Mass psychogenic illness, or mass hysteria, represents the rapid spread of real physical symptoms without an organic cause, driven by social connection and underlying stress, highlighting the profound impact of collective anxiety on physical health.
- The historical dismissal of women's symptoms as "hysteria" stems from a lack of medical understanding and gender bias, underscoring the need to analyze these phenomena as human experiences rather than solely gendered ones.
- The fentanyl panic among police officers, where proximity to the drug allegedly causes overdose symptoms without toxicology confirmation, illustrates how fear and misinformation can manifest physically, amplified by media and social group dynamics.
- Mass hysteria spreads not randomly but within existing social groups, suggesting that shared experiences and connections can create a contagion effect, blurring the lines between illness and belonging.
- The post-9/11 mystery rash in schoolchildren is believed to be a mass psychogenic illness, a physical manifestation of collective anxiety about toxic exposure, demonstrating how societal fears can trigger psychosomatic symptoms.
- Diagnosing mass psychogenic illness is challenging, often a diagnosis of exclusion made after the fact, to avoid reducing individual experiences to mere psychological dismissals and to ensure organic causes are not overlooked.
- Storytelling and empathetic listening are crucial tools for understanding complex health experiences, allowing individuals to share their realities and presenting the multifaceted nature of illness without imposing predetermined conclusions.
Deep Dive
Mass psychogenic illness, or mass hysteria, reveals the profound, often overlooked connection between our minds, bodies, and social environments. This phenomenon, where real physical symptoms spread through a group without a clear organic cause, highlights how collective stress, fear, and the need for belonging can manifest physically, demonstrating that the line between contagion and connection is remarkably thin. Understanding mass hysteria is critical because it challenges conventional medical frameworks, exposing societal fault lines and the impact of stigma, particularly on marginalized groups.
The core of mass hysteria lies in its contagion, driven by social connection rather than biological pathogens. In cases like the Le Roy, New York, high school outbreak, symptoms spread rapidly among students who shared proximity and social bonds. This pattern is not exclusive to young women, as seen in the alleged Havana Syndrome affecting diplomats, or the documented cases of police officers experiencing overdose-like symptoms from mere proximity to fentanyl. In both instances, the symptoms spread within a defined social group -- diplomats and law enforcement -- and are often amplified by media coverage, creating a feedback loop where videos of incidents can propagate further instances. This suggests that the underlying stress, anxiety, or even the perceived threat itself becomes the driver, leading to a physical manifestation of shared psychological states. Furthermore, the historical dismissal of "hysteria" as a female ailment, rooted in the Greek word for uterus, underscores how gender bias can obstruct accurate diagnosis and treatment, leading individuals, particularly women, to feel unheard and unsupported by the medical establishment. The symptoms are real, even if their cause is not organic, and the lack of validation can exacerbate suffering and reinforce the very conditions that make individuals susceptible to such outbreaks.
Ultimately, the pervasive nature of mass psychogenic illness underscores the power of collective experience and the stories we tell ourselves about health and illness. It demonstrates that our bodies respond not only to physical threats but also to psychological and social pressures, and that these responses can be contagious. Recognizing mass hysteria as a deeply human, albeit complex, phenomenon allows for a more empathetic and comprehensive approach to understanding health, acknowledging that shared experience, even in illness, can be a powerful, albeit sometimes overwhelming, form of connection.
Action Items
- Audit 10-15 reported "overdose" incidents among police officers for actual toxicology confirmation of fentanyl presence.
- Draft a runbook template for investigating unexplained physical symptoms, defining 5 required sections (e.g., symptom tracking, environmental factors, social connections, personal stressors, medical history).
- Analyze 3-5 historical cases of mass psychogenic illness to identify common underlying stressors or cultural fissures that preceded outbreaks.
- Measure correlation between reported symptoms and social connectivity for 3-5 affected groups to understand contagion patterns.
- Evaluate current communication protocols for unexplained medical events to identify potential for stigma or dismissal of patient experiences.
Key Quotes
"in 2011 at the beginning of the school year something strange happened in leroy a student at leroy junior senior high school a cheerleader she wakes up from a nap with a stutter like a severe stammer trouble speaking and pretty soon that turns into um head ticks and facial twitches and then blurting out sounds and words sometimes that you'd associate with something like tourette's syndrome"
Dan Taberski introduces the initial case in Le Roy, New York, detailing how a cheerleader developed a stutter, followed by head ticks, facial twitches, and vocal outbursts. This description sets the stage for the unusual outbreak that would affect the town's high school.
"after a month's long investigation the state and the school board and the and the uh doctors involved they come up with what they think is the answer the outbreak ripping through the high school is a mass psychogenic illness otherwise known as mass hysteria"
Taberski explains that after extensive investigation, medical and school authorities concluded the outbreak was a mass psychogenic illness, commonly referred to as mass hysteria. This diagnosis suggests the symptoms were spreading through psychological and social means rather than a physical pathogen.
"mass psychogenic illness is the rapid spread of real physical symptoms from one person to the other but those symptoms don't seem to have any organic cause so you've got a limp but your x ray is normal or you've got neurological symptoms but your mri doesn't show anything medically these symptoms shouldn't be happening but then they begin to spread from person to person"
Taberski defines mass psychogenic illness as the rapid transmission of genuine physical symptoms that lack an identifiable organic cause, such as a limp with a normal X-ray or neurological symptoms with a clear MRI. He highlights that these medically inexplicable symptoms spread among individuals.
"the thing about mass hysteria is that it's a line of sight thing right like part of the reason you get the symptoms is because you see somebody having the symptoms themselves but with the advent of police body cams each psychogenic overdose also creates a video and that video that's then gets seen by other police officers which potentially creates more psychogenic overdoses which creates more videos you see the problem creating perhaps the perfect vector for spread"
Taberski discusses how mass hysteria is often visually triggered, with symptoms spreading by witnessing them in others. He points out that the proliferation of police bodycam footage documenting suspected fentanyl overdoses among officers creates a perfect vector for spread, as these videos can then influence other officers.
"for centuries doctors or physicians or what they called physicians at the time would blame the wandering womb like literally the womb wandering on a woman's body that was causing all these medical problems that's how they would explain things they basically didn't understand i mean hysteria has been targeted at women for centuries and it's obviously still a huge problem in terms of being taken seriously in medical situations"
Taberski notes that historically, medical professionals attributed women's ailments to the "wandering womb," a concept rooted in a lack of understanding of female physiology. He emphasizes that the term "hysteria" has a long history of being applied to women, and this gender bias continues to affect how women's health issues are taken seriously today.
"i just think sitting down and talking to people with empathy and an open heart and an open mind to find out what they think happened to them and hear why i feel like it's enough of a reason and i actually don't really go into it trying to sort of change this policy or make people think a certain way i'm just trying to present the complexity that i think exists and have that be enough"
Dan Taberski expresses his approach to journalism, which involves listening to individuals with empathy and an open mind to understand their experiences. He aims to present the complexity of situations rather than imposing a specific viewpoint or policy, believing that the honest portrayal of lived experiences is sufficient.
Resources
External Resources
Books
- "Founders Mentality: The CEO Sessions" by Jimmy Allen - Mentioned as a podcast featuring stories from world leaders.
Articles & Papers
- "IDC study" - Referenced for data on Vanta customer cost savings and productivity.
People
- Dan Taberski - Documentary podcaster, creator of "Hysterical," "Missing Richard Simmons," and "Running from Cops."
- Dr. Andrew Huberman - Performance expert associated with Momentous.
- Dr. Stacy Sims - Performance expert associated with Momentous.
- Jimmy Allen - Partner at Bain & Company, host of "Founders Mentality: The CEO Sessions."
- Shoshana Ungerleider - Host of "TED Health," interviewer of Dan Taberski.
Organizations & Institutions
- American Red Cross - Mentioned for inclusive blood donation policies.
- Bain & Company - Employer of Jimmy Allen.
- Chili Piper - Company that trusts Vanta.
- Factory - Company that trusts Vanta.
- FDA - Mentioned in relation to updated blood donation guidelines.
- Jell-O - Mentioned as the birthplace of the product in Le Roy, New York.
- Momentous - Supplement brand that works with science experts and offers creatine.
- NIH (National Institutes of Health) - Cited as a source for information on mass psychogenic illness.
- Quora - Company that trusts Vanta.
- Siemens - Company associated with digital twins and decision-making.
- TED - Organization producing the "TED Health" podcast and Ted Talks.
- Vanta - Company providing a trust management platform for compliance and security.
Websites & Online Resources
- acast.com/privacy - URL for Acast privacy information.
- babel.com/acast - URL for Babel subscription offer.
- go.ted.com/BHTranscripts - URL for full text transcript of the TED Talk.
- livemomentous.com - Website for Momentous supplements.
- redcrossblood.org/lgbtq - Website for American Red Cross blood donation.
- vanta.com/tedaudio - URL for Vanta demo sign-up.
- wise.com - Website for Wise international money services.
- wise.com/us - Website for Wise international money services in the US.
Podcasts & Audio
- "Founders Mentality: The CEO Sessions" - Podcast hosted by Jimmy Allen.
- "How to Be a Better Human" - Podcast that shared an episode of "TED Health."
- "TED Health" - Podcast from TED, featuring an interview with Dan Taberski.
Other Resources
- AI automation - Feature of Vanta's trust management platform.
- Anthrax - Mentioned in relation to a 2001 mystery rash outbreak.
- Creapure creatine - Specific product offered by Momentous.
- Continuous monitoring - Feature of Vanta's trust management platform.
- Fentanyl - Drug discussed in relation to police officer overdose reactions.
- Havana Syndrome - Neurological medical mystery affecting foreign workers.
- ISO 27001 - Compliance standard Vanta helps companies achieve.
- Mass hysteria - Concept explored in Dan Taberski's work.
- Mass psychogenic illness - Medical term for rapid spread of physical symptoms without organic cause.
- Mystery rash - Outbreak among grade schoolers in 2001.
- SOC 2 - Compliance standard Vanta helps companies achieve.
- Tourette's syndrome - Neurological disorder characterized by tics.
- Trust management platform - Product offered by Vanta.
- Wandering womb - Historical medical concept blamed for women's ailments.