Teen girls' mystery illness now has a diagnosis: mass hysteria

MSM.com ^ | 1.18.2012 | n/a

[wolfcreek]

The day after TODAY reported on the baffling case of 12 teenage girls at one school who mysteriously fell ill with Tourette's-like symptoms of tics and verbal outbursts, a doctor who is treating some of the girls has come forward to offer an explanation. Dr. Laszlo Mechtler, a neurologist in Amherst, N.Y., says the diagnosis is "conversion disorder," or mass hysteria.

"It's happened before, all around the world, in different parts of the world. It's a rare phenomena. Physicians are intrigued by it," Mechtler told TODAY on Wednesday. "The bottom line is these teenagers will get better."

[wolfcreek]

There's no way I'm going to believe this BS especially if it were my daughter.

[Kartographer]

Kind of like the 2008 Presidential Elections? Must be a pandemic as it looks to be coming around again this year just in time for the election.

[RnMomof7]

I live in the area ..I have followed this since it started..

There is no way this is “mass hysteria” ..these girls all became ill about the same time..

The truth is either they know and are being silent.. or they are clueless..

[Williams]

Don’t believe it then but it was somewhat obvious. Teen girls, no physical cause, sudden onset.

[onedoug]

Salem?

[Menehune56]

I suspect witchcraft.

[ZX12R]

who mysteriously fell ill with Tourette's-like symptoms of tics and verbal outbursts



You don't say?

[Williams]

Very similar to hypnosis. I’ve hypnotized a class in college, it’s quite amazing how susceptible people can be, esp young women.

[MIchaelTArchangel]

The stress of being a teenager today? If just being a teenager is so stressful as to cause “conversation disorder” for this dozen dolts, I predict they will not accomplish much in their lives because the stress of being an adult far outweighs the stress of who is going out with whom.

[muir_redwoods]

I'm tending to agree with the mass hysteria diagnosis. It seems odd that only girls are affected, only girls in this school and all of them came down with the symptoms after one of them began exhibiting the problem. I understand both the state of New York Dept. of Health and at least one private physician have done lots of tests and have no clue. It could be environmental I suppose but there should be more people suffering from the symptoms. If it was a vaccine, kids in other schools would have the symptoms. It reads a bit like The Crucible in terms of mass hysteria

[windcliff]

Ergot poisoning.

[ruthles]

Yep, sounds like the Salem witch trials or mccarthyism, haha.

[PGR88]

Bieber fever?

[null and void]

Hypnotized, or just put to sleep?

[edcoil]

“LSD”

Line of Sight Disease

[AnAmericanAbroad]

I’ve always considered the Salem Witch Trials, Satanic ritual abuse, and other such silliness from days gone past as Moral Panics, not really mass hysteria.

Moral Panics are always amusing to watch from the sidelines. People get all worked up into a frenzy over the most ridiculous things. Of course, I guess if you’re the target of a moral panic, it might not be so amusing. Fortunately, moral panics come and go....usually one every decade at a minimum, I’ve noticed.

[null and void]

Bieber fever?

Yes.

They were stuned...

[wolfcreek]

You da man!

Now how did you do that again? ;>)

[netmilsmom]

Is there anywhere that all 12 girls went that no one else did? Is there some kind of new diet craze among them?

Mass Hysteria doesn’t pop up after a nap, as the symptoms did for the girl in the article.

[massgopguy]

Mass Hysteria comes last. First dogs and cats must live together. Then comes the Human sacrifice.