Talk:List of mass panic cases/Archive 1

Requested move
Collective hysteria → Mass hysteria — Mass hysteria is by far the the most common and widely used term. Psychologists might use "collective hysteria" but most people would search for "mass hysteria". Googling both terms shows that "mass hysteria" gives more than 97% of the total hits. ( 851,000 for Mass hysteria / 21,900 for Collective hysteria) Saikokira 01:44, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

Survey

 * Add  # Support   or   # Oppose   on a new line in the appropriate section followed by a brief explanation, then sign your opinion using ~ .  Please remember that this survey is not a vote, and please provide an explanation for your recommendation.

Survey - in support of the move

 * 1) Support per WP:COMMONNAME. --Kusunose 04:34, 28 February 2007 (UTC)
 * 2) Support per WP:COMMONNAME as well. "Collective hysteria" is overtly technical jargon which the average wikipedia is not going to be searching for. Mass hysteria has the largest presence in the common vernacular mostly because it is the term that the media prefers. We should go with what people are going to respond to and that is "Mass Hysteria". 205.157.110.11 03:39, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Survey - in opposition to the move

 * 1) Oppose Scientists use "collective", journalists use "mass" - We should use collective, with of course a redirect from mass. Johnbod 04:03, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

Discussion

 * Add any additional comments:

This article has been renamed from collective hysteria to mass hysteria as the result of a move request. --Stemonitis 07:22, 10 March 2007 (UTC)

Jerome Clark
Why on earth is a UFO author's view on the matter given such a significant chunk of the text of the article??? That seems like a classic case of undue weight, which is prohibited by policy here (and just all around a bad idea). DreamGuy 05:57, 29 May 2007 (UTC)
 * I wondered just that- articles full of WP:BOLLOCKS at the mo. I'm going to fix it a bit.Merkinsmum 22:03, 7 August 2007 (UTC)

2007 Peruvian meteorite event
It appears that the illiness turned out to be a case of Arsenic poisoning. Not Mass hysteria. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.232.40.187 (talk) 20:16, 26 July 2008 (UTC)

What are the 6 required elements
"The six elements required to set off a mass hysteria can be observed in the episode." So, what are these? They are not listed in the article.

--Czar Kirk (talk) 21:10, 27 July 2008 (UTC)

Any good case examples?
I came to this article to investigate the feasability of an episode of house (wherein a number of people on an airplane got a rash because in response to seeing one man's rash), and it is decidedly unhelpful. The article summary is written as if mass hysteria is a legitimate medical diagnosis, but the rest of the article just contains anecdotes, opinions, and criticisms. Does the article lack focus, or is its subject just a fairly vague term? ~ Booya Bazooka 01:55, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

Deleted Hillsborough Disaster from Examples list
I have deleted the Hillsborough Disaster because it is not an unambiguous example of mass hysteria, if it is one at all. Although there are allegations of psychological harm from people who watched the tragedy unfold on TV or who were in the stands but not in the crush, that's not mass hysteria either. Something genuine and traumatic happened, and while the claims of secondary victims for negligently inflicted psychiatric injury were not upheld, that does not mean they suffered a mass delusion. 78.105.6.221 (talk) 09:04, 10 February 2010 (UTC)

Aqua Teen Hunger Force
I just removed this from the article:

All of Boston have nicely demonstrated this phenomenon with the reaction to an advertisement for a cartoon show, Aqua Teen Hunger Force (ATHF).

First, this isn't particularly encyclopedic in phrasing; it sounds like a personal opinion. Second, although it's a personal opinion I happen to agree with, per the verifiability policy, we need a reliable source, like a professor of psychology and an expert in mass hysteria saying that. If somebody can find that source, I'm glad to put together an enclopedic mention of this, hopefully in a section with other examples. William Pietri 17:57, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

nicely demonstrated is clearly sarcastic,there will almost certainly be no verification for this,since i would assume someone who got specific enough to find this example didnt hyper link it.i think its just one of those edits wikipidia weeds out. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.142.140.230 (talk) 22:24, 17 December 2010 (UTC)

No mention of Culture Bound Syndromes
CBS's can occur as outbreaks such as Grisis Siknis among Miskito Indians of Central America. This article does not differentiate between the two experiences. The fact that such outbreaks have happened after a period of time when families were confined indoors as a result of weather points to Subliminal Distraction. In Africa where Mass Hysteria happens frequently no one has investigated the living arrangements of the victims. VisionAndPsychosis.Net is a nine year investigation of the problem. In that time I only found one doctor aware Subliminal Distraction mental breaks happen. That being the case you can be assured that it has not been investigated as the source of outbreaks of Mass Hysteria. In the recent incident in New York, January 2012, 12 girls suddenly began to have tics, vocalizations, and stuttering similar to Tourette's. The first girl effected was taking two art classes daily. That may have been a source of Subliminal Distraction exposure to cause her reaction. But without an investigation in each case there will not be a discovery or effective resolution for these students.

108.206.18.197 (talk) 07:09, 22 January 2012 (UTC) L K Tucker VisionAndPsychosis.Net

Is what is happening in Le Roy New York really "mass hysteria?"
After seeing and reading about the epidemic of a Tourette's-like syndrome in New York, I wonder if a diagnosis of Sydenham's chorea, sometimes known as St Vitus' Dance, isn't being overlooked. Epidemics of this disorder have occurred throughout history. It is most commonly a reaction to strep infection can be one of the sequelae of Rheumatic fever. Sydenham's chorea can occur months after the initial infection. In addition, after the age of ten years old, it has a predilection for striking females. I am enclosing a portion of an article from Medscape that describes it. Have they ruled out Sydenham's chorea; if so, how?

I think it is premature to call what is happening in Le Roy, New York mass hysteria, until other disorders have been ruled out.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/891897-clinical#a0217

Pediatric Rheumatic Heart Disease Clinical Presentation Author: Thomas K Chin, MD; Chief Editor: Stuart Berger, MD  more...

"Sydenham chorea occurs in 10-30% of patients with rheumatic fever. Patients present with difficulty writing, involuntary grimacing, purposeless (choreiform) movements of the arms and legs, speech impairment, generalized weakness, and emotional lability. Physical findings include hyperextended joints, hypotonia, diminished deep tendon reflexes, tongue fasciculations ("bag of worms"), and a "milk sign" or relapsing grip demonstrated by alternate increases and decreases in tension when the patient grips the examiner's hand.

In the absence of a family history of Huntington chorea, the diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever is almost certain. A long latency period (1-6 mo) between streptococcal pharyngitis and the onset of chorea is observed; a history of an antecedent sore throat is frequently not obtained. Patients with chorea often do not demonstrate other Jones criteria. Chorea is slightly more common in females than males. It is also known as rheumatic chorea, Sydenham chorea, chorea minor, and St Vitus dance. Daily handwriting samples can be used as an indicator of progression or resolution of disease. Complete resolution of the symptoms typically occurs with improvement in 1-2 weeks and full recovery in 2-3 months. However, cases have been reported in which symptoms wax and wane for several years.

Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS) may be associated with chorea. Children have been identified in whom group A streptococcal infection appears to have triggered a relapsing-remitting symptom complex characterized by obsessive-compulsive disorder (somatic obsessions and checking, cleaning, and repeating compulsions), and neurologic abnormalities, such as cognitive defects and motoric hyperactivity. The symptoms are prepubertal in onset and may include emotional lability, separation anxiety, and oppositional behaviors.

Streptococcal infection has been proposed to trigger the formation of antibodies that cross-react with the basal ganglia of genetically susceptible hosts in a manner similar to the proposed mechanism for Sydenham chorea, thus causing the symptom complex."

Hydrangea123 06:10, 8 February 2012 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hydrangea123 (talk • contribs)

Doctor here, and though I'm nowhere near Le Roy, NY, I've been following the story on the news. Acute rheumatic fever is exceptionally rare in the US, as we are pretty good (and perhaps overzealous) at prescribing antibiotics for strep pharyngitis. If it were ARF, the girls would demonstrate others signs, like heart murmurs, a marching rash, and nodules over the joints. The movements have been described as tics and/or seizures rather than choreiform and there has been no mention of fasciculations or milkmaid's grip. (These are standard parts of a neurologist's exam.) PANDAS is a very controversial entity; it is vanishingly rare and may not exist at all. The girls in Le Roy don't appear to have any OCD-like behavior. The marked gender and age distribution also argues against PANDAS.

The workup has been extensive, including specialist consultations, labs and imaging, and a thorough investigation into environmental factors. The leading diagnosis at this time does seem to be conversion disorder; I think it should stay on the page. MlleDiderot (talk) 01:06, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

PANDAS is not controversial, just new. There has been controversy about the diagnosis of mass hysteria or a conversion disorder. Pediatric neurologist, Dr Rosario Trifilletti was called in to examine the patients. I am including his statement, which can be seen on the PANDAS website.

http://pandasnetwork.org/2012/02/dr-trifiletti-statement-in-regards-to-le-roy-students/

Dr. Trifiletti’s Statement in Regards to Le Roy Students

By Vickie Blavat, on February 6th, 2012

Dr. Rosario Trifiletti STATEMENT ON LEROY, NY CLUSTER “I have now had the opportunity to review laboratory data collected in a standardized fashion on eight of the nine girls I examined in Leroy, NY on 1/29/12. Five of eight girls show evidence of carriage of Streptococcus Pyogenes and seven of eight show evidence of infection with Mycoplasma Pneumonia. All eight girls tested show evidence of infection with at least one of these pathogens. Both of these agents have been associated with a PANDAS-like illness with the sudden onset of motor and vocal tics. Thus, a PANDAS-like illness is my working diagnosis, rather than a mass conversion disorder. These findings provide a significant clue in the Leroy High School mystery, but certainly many questions remain. Streptococcus Pyogenes and Mycoplasma Pneumonia are common pathogens that children throughout the world are exposed to every day. Why this town? Why this particular child and not another? Why such a curious presentation resembling Tourette syndrome? Until these questions are fully answered, the cluster will remain a mystery. I suspect that genetic, environmental factors provide an immune background where the PANDAS-like response is possible to common pathogens. The infectious exposure is simply “the straw that broke the camel’s back”. However, the infectious exposure points the way to rational medical treatment for these children, which is of immediate importance. Such treatment, which involves antibiotics and anti-inflammatory agents, has already begun. Clearly, response to such treatment will be helpful in supporting my working diagnosis. As with most illnesses, there is a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors here. As with all illnesses, psychological factors likely play some role as well. All we have done here is provided evidence for exposure to two infectious agents as potential environmental factors. I would encourage efforts to further explore genetic and other environmental factors that likely are playing an additional role here.

Hydrangea123 21:39, 1 April 2012 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hydrangea123 (talk • contribs)

Additionally there is information from NIMH that supports the concept of PANDAS and PANS http://intramural.nimh.nih.gov/pdn/web.htm

Hydrangea123 21:47, 1 April 2012 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hydrangea123 (talk • contribs)


 * I believe the sources for the Leroy material and some of the other outbreaks do not meet Identifying reliable sources (medicine) guidelines. I assume this is a medical article so the sources should be reviews and not popular press sources. If better sources are not available the material should be removed until definitive sources are available. Ward20 (talk) 20:33, 31 May 2012 (UTC)

Is this phenomenon limited to girls' schools?
I can't be the first person to notice this, but it seems that all the examples are among schoolgirls in all-girls schools. That seems surprising, and I wonder if it's worth noting in the article. It does say 'there is a clear preponderance of female victims.', but right now I'm wondering if there are any cases of mass hysteria occurring in males, or is it a purely female phenomenon? Robofish (talk) 13:41, 26 May 2012 (UTC)


 * Yes, there are cases of mass hysteria occurring in males. See Koro (medicine). Ward20 (talk) 17:19, 26 May 2012 (UTC)


 * You only provided like one example. While I am sure there are a couple more male-only examples (though I can't find any with google), it seems that this nonsense only effects girls, for the most part. Stranded Pirate (talk) 04:05, 20 June 2012 (UTC)


 * I simply answered a question, "I'm wondering if there are any cases of mass hysteria occurring in males, or is it a purely female phenomenon?". I gave one example strictly affecting males (I would bet there are more than one) although the majority seem to be females. See also Dancing mania and Mad Gasser of Mattoon for examples affecting both men and women where women also appear to be over repesented, as the article states. Ward20 (talk) 04:34, 20 June 2012 (UTC)


 * It does not surprise me that the phenomenon is more common among females. Since females communicate on more layers than males (body language in particular) it is only logical that a fix idea would spread more efficiently. 41.210.129.10 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 09:01, 1 July 2012 (UTC)

Mass Hysteria can be observed in males when a crowd gets shot at by soldiers. During earthquakes or in a military rout. For instance, if there was a mortar strike on the streets, mass hysteria would instantly take effect. During 9/11, we saw mass hysteria at its finest, it even led some of the victims to commit suicide rather than to suffer in the building, again, mass hysteria can hit everyone with the proper stimulus. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 189.226.120.204 (talk) 18:48, 29 September 2012 (UTC)

Use of Evidentiary Examples and Bias
I think it's reasonably clear that the statistics, based on readily available case information, seem to be dominated by "young females" in a variety of environments. Not only are there many possible explanations for this sort of statistical slant in the modern world, especially when the internet is the primary source of information, but there is also the threshold of relevancy. One could certainly call the "Y2K bug," and the mass response to fear of it, a case of documentable "mass hysteria."

However, it cannot be denied that this article is composed mainly of specific events and examples, rather than information about the phenomena itself. Furthermore, every example in this article uses the word "girls, "women" or "female." Every example makes it a point to mention that the event primarily affected females. At the very least, this article is biased in it's wording. At most, the article is straight up sexist.

(as of this date) The word girl or girls is mentioned 19 times. The word woman or women is mentioned 4 times. The word female is mentioned 3 times. The word boy or boys is mentioned once. The word man or men is not mentioned. The word male is not mentioned.

Are these examples sexist or factually portrayed? Is the use of so many examples encyclopaedically appropriate to a wiki article? How can this article be improved without overtly including or omitting information? JvA talk 09:35, 21 January 2013 (UTC)
 * The whole article could use a lot of improvement in general, so what the experts have to say about the gender disparity and examples of mass hysteria featuring mostly males should both be added to the article. Females are far more commonly mentioned in mass hysteria events across the literature, however, and I don't think it's safe to assume it's based upon sexism. But what the experts have to say about it would be a welcome addition. DreamGuy (talk) 16:16, 16 February 2013 (UTC)

Mass psychogenic illness separate article or merge?
I just posted a merger proposal for merging Sociogenic illness into Mass psychogenic illness seems they seem to cover the same topic. It also seems like there is considerable overlap with this article. From what it says on the MPI article, "MPI is distinct from other collective delusions, also included under the blanket terms of mass hysteria, in that MPI causes symptoms of disease, though there is no organic cause." So something like the "Dancing Plague" would belong on Mass hysteria, while the Leroy incident would belong on Mass psychogenic illness. Not all the examples are so clear cut as to what is a medical symptom, but I think there can be a distinction made. In that case, maybe there should be a brief "Mass psychogenic illness" subsection on this page that links to the main article. Alternatively, that article could be merged into this one. Thoughts? - 68.51.33.90 (talk) 13:56, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

Halifax slasher
Does the halifax slasher even count? It doesn't really sound anything like an incident of actual mass hysteria.  K . Bog 
 * What makes you say that? Lots of people joined in with delusions of an attacker running around. It is used as a classic example of mass hysteria. Seems pretty straightforward and noncontroversial. Either your understanding of actual mass hysteria isn't quite correct or the text describing it lacks some information that would spell it out better. DreamGuy (talk) 00:12, 11 November 2013 (UTC)

Pinky Pinky & Tokoloshes in South Africa
I would think that the Pinky Pinky phenomemon experienced, (particularly by black schoolchildren?) in South Africa would seem to qualify as an example of collective hysteria, but I'm not enough of an expert to make that call.

Tokoloshes would also seem to be another (related?) example. 198.54.202.66 13:33, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

(unrelated stuff moved to User_talk:Knightstheround)

Does Collective Hysteria really exist in Psychology?
Any Case studies supporting this? I have not seen any. Only accuasiations(SP) that certain events are Mass Hysteria, But no concrete proof, only Theories and ideals. Magnum Serpentine 14:25, 22 October 2006 (UTC) Often called by other names (Med: Epidemic Hysteria)this is a known condition that does have a large library of medical, psychopathological, sociological literature associated with it.

As I read the doctors' reports on the current issue in LeRoy, they have eliminated infectious diseases and environmental factors as the cause for the girls' symptoms. These doctors have concluded these girls suffer from conversion disorder, or mass hysteria. That's the fact of the current situation. Whether or not there are case studies proving mass hysteria is irrelevant. This is the conclusion of these doctors. I personally disagree with their diagnosis but we're not supposed to go by our own personal opinions here at Wiki. It's about documented evidence. And the doctors in this case have gone on record that these girls are suffering from conversion disorder so that's what the text and documentation of the article should show. So I believe the article should reflect this fact whether or not their are case studies for mass hysteria and whether or not mass hysteria really exists. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.66.79.193 (talk) 05:29, 12 February 2012 (UTC)


 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_psychogenic_illness Kortoso (talk) 23:24, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

Removed
Removed 9/11 Conspiracy and Elliot Wave from list. These arent examples of mass hysteria, just unproven theories.

Removed Religion on Characteristics. On characteristics there was on example on religion and hysteria. The source is neither reputable and heavily biased, it uses little citations and missuses real psychiatric phenomena of motor hysteria in cases where no formal research cited has transpired. It cannot be considered a valid source of information.

Plus the subject itself, being at large heavily unexplored from peer reviewed documents and without empirical evidence lacks the base to be seriously considered as stands. It is an article by someone who is not an expert doing original research, therefore I am deleting it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 189.226.120.204 (talk) 19:03, 29 September 2012 (UTC)

Redirect
Bear Market? Link from mass hysteria page - I dont know how to change that though .. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.232.163.23 (talk) 06:39, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

Global Warming and Mass Hysteria
In response to this discussion on Global warming we could say all public discourse entails belief systems, which inherently are the product of societies, aggregations of human beings who to some degree are effected by common group dynamics. This Wikipedia article on "Mass hysteria" thus is a subset of the collection of societal beliefs that define a zeitgeist, and does do an acceptable job of delineating it from such those common views that become cultural norms. Certainly, the response to climate change is a mass movement, as is the general belief that "mental health" should be supported, even though the evidence for such a thing as mental illness, other than for clear psychoses, does not exist. It is a group construct, the same as can be said for every religion or political ideology. I see this article acceptable as "A listing of inexplicable events that exclude widely accepted beliefs that endure over a period of time in a given culture or sub-culture." I propose that this, or a similar description be in the introduction. 75.80.26.22 (talk) 19:14, 15 February 2016 (UTC)

Sitting back in the UK and observing how the public has reacted to being spoon fed the opinion (and that's all it is) that mankind has and is causing global warming I would argue that the public's headless chicken approach to become 'green' is in fact mass hysteria. The Government of course are profiting nicely with lots of new taxes to encourage the people. And the people accept this as being necessary Finalreminder (talk) 10:55, 1 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Personally, I quite agree with you. But, putting on my Wikipedia Editor Hat, I have to wonder how you propose to add this sort of thing to the article without offending WP:NPOV. HiramShadraski (talk) 13:14, 1 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Agree as well. forestPIG 19:48, 1 June 2008 (UTC)
 * I disagree. The physical science behind global warming and therefore its validity does not depend upon the personal beliefs and opinions of humans.--Czar Kirk (talk) 21:12, 27 July 2008 (UTC)
 * Wikipedia is not a soapbox, WP:OR, and all that. There's no way that can make it into the article without some pretty hardcore WP:RS in science, which we know overwhelmingly support the idea of global warming instead of being against it. Before you could introduce it over here as hysteria it'd have to make it to the main global warming article, which definitely is not going to happen any time soon. 22:17, 27 July 2008 (UTC)
 * You're missing the point. There's little dispute about global warming, it is after all an entirely natural phenomenon on any planet not just Earth. My point is that people have, en-masse, jumped on the 'Mankind did it' band wagon to which there is little or no convincing evidence. This suggests that the mankind induced global warming theory to which the public have jumped on willingly and blindly is a very good example of Mass-Hysteria. Finalreminder 23:23, 30 July 2008 (UTC)  —Preceding unsigned comment added by Finalreminder (talk • contribs)

Anonymous Finalreminder's unstated but very clearly implicit suggestion seems to be that "natural" global warming may be going on, but he is quite sure that humankind can dump hundreds of millions of tons of carbon compounds into the environment without any ill effects. Now who is hysterical here exactly?

"Hysterical" may be a word with sexist overtones. Finalreminder's ominous suggestion that unnamed parties are "spoon feeding" the public Evil Untruths, however, may qualify as the related but non-sexist act of getting his knickers twisted. David Lloyd-Jones (talk) 08:11, 2 October 2015 (UTC)

Victims are mostly female
The victims of mass hysteria are nearly all female. This should be pointed out. 78.149.211.10 (talk) 22:15, 23 May 2016 (UTC)

Society #Mr.Robot
When you are able to socially impress it's the idea that stands out. Groch6997 (talk) 22:50, 14 September 2016 (UTC)

External links modified
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Article pretty much devoid of details
Aside from what amounts to little more than a dictionary definition, the whole article consists of examples. I doubt I'll find time to research it myself, but wanted to point out the failing.

History of Mass Hysteria
This page is seriously lacking in the description of the subject. The page on "Hysteria" is much better. From where does the term "mass hysteria" originate? Who coined it? What were the circumstances?

Missing items
What about the Fátima apparitions of 1917, or the Havana syndrome -- the August 2017 case of 26 US embassy officials serving in Cuba who claimed hearing loss -- which only three were actually found to have, and which for those three could be ascribed to pre-existing conditions? Seems like classic cases of hysterical psychosomatic illness. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.89.176.249 (talk) 01:09, 14 June 2019 (UTC)
 * I remember of the event but am not up to date with the latest information. Are there reliable sources that present it as such?  These sources are what we'd need to find, summarize and cite.  Thanks, — Paleo  Neonate  – 01:30, 14 June 2019 (UTC)
 * As far as Fatima (I originally mistakenly wrote "Lourdes", but I was thinking of Fatima), whole books have been written on the subject. For example


 * Port, Len; The Fátima Phenomenon - Divine Grace, Delusion or Pious Fraud?; Amazon Digital Services; Seattle, Wa.: 2012.


 * Nickell, J,; Looking for a Miracle; Prometheus Books; Amherst, New York: 1992


 * Also - The Miracle of Fatima


 * The Lady of Fátima & the Miracle of the Sun


 * On the Havana syndrome:
 * | Sonic attack or mass paranoia? New evidence stokes debate over diplomats’ mysterious illness
 * | The “Sonic Attack” on U.S. Diplomats in Cuba: Why the State Department’s Claims Don’t Add Up
 * | Cuba’s Sonic Attacks Show Us Just How Susceptible Our Brains Are to Mass Hysteria
 * | The Real Story Behind the Havana Embassy Mystery
 * ... and many others. HTH.
 * 70.89.176.249 (talk) 02:46, 14 June 2019 (UTC)


 * Thanks, I now remember that the Lady of Fatima article was on the WP:SKEPTIC's TODO a few years ago (added here), although in the current article I see no mention of hallucination, folie a deux, hysteria, etc, so would have to verify if it has not been whitewashed since (or never updated). We probably should first assess these sources, ensure that the articles themselves be updated, then if the result is a mention of mass hysteria or mass psychogenic illness etc, they would likely belong here as well...  Other than WikiProject Skepticism there also is the fringe theories noticeboard, that can be useful for collaboration when needed.  Sorry if you already know these, I don't have a very good memory of IP addresses.  — Paleo  Neonate  – 11:57, 14 June 2019 (UTC)
 * And miracle of the sun (Special:Diff/778385560) — Paleo Neonate  – 11:59, 14 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Then their removal, giving an idea of the time frame to audit — Paleo Neonate  – 12:01, 14 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Update: In relation to Fatima: so the difference within that period is and difference between then and ...  No apparent mention there so far.  Will have to check the suggested sources.  — Paleo  Neonate  – 17:24, 14 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Assessing web sources (Fatima, didn't look at the books yet):
 * psychologytoday - blog, only usable if the author is an expert on the topic
 * livescience - apparently usable (Reliable sources/Noticeboard/Archive 65) and does mention mass hysteria
 * — Paleo Neonate  – 20:27, 14 June 2019 (UTC)

Corona virus
Since March 12, several new editors and IP editors have added sections or sentences stating that the novel coronovirus pandemic has led to mass hysteria. One wrote that cancelation or postponement of events led to harm to the US economy, another removed that, it wrote that buying face masks and hand sanitizer was mass hysteria, and another cited cases of people forming long line to buy toilet paper and fighting over it constituted mass hysteria. No reliable source was cited at all from March 12 until today in which a doctor said that canceling or postponing events, closing nonessential businesses, quarantining infected or exposed persons, or social distancing were not public health measures. Hoarding and fighting over toilet paper smacks of panic and irrationality, but is not presented as a false belief that it is a physical illness. It lacks the aspects of being a conversion hysteria like the swooning of youths described in several other sections. It is original research for editors to see a news article about two women fighting over a consumer good and based on their own opinion write about the “Toilet paper hysteria of 2020.”   Find and cite reliable sources calling that before release-adding it to the article. Thus is not to say it will never be viewed as such, but the case has not been made yet. Please do not use the encyclopedia to further US political ideologies. Before adding it to this list, it would be a good idea to create a stand-alone article about it, with inline citations to reliable sources. Edison (talk) 16:16, 25 March 2020 (UTC)

— I have made some of those edits, mostly reformatting what was already there but also adding the source about the fighting etc. I realize now that you are right and that perhaps it should be removed from the list altogether. To be fair, similar behaviour of panic buying and hoarding is probably nothing all too uncommon and happens most likely every there is a feeling of impending danger in society. - Xashm 26 March 2020 —Preceding undated comment added 17:08, 26 March 2020 (UTC)


 * An IP editor has continued to add similar language about the coronavirus pandemic to the article. The only citation given does not support the text of the edits; it is an article titled "Mass Panic Is Unlikely, Even During a Pandemic" in Wired . I have asked the IP editor to join the discussion here instead of edit warring. BananaCarrot152 (talk) 21:25, 6 April 2020 (UTC)

I have been following these edits and clearly the current pandemic has become a mass hysteria event. Yet editors on Wikipedia keep deleting the citations about this, as mentioned above. Other pandemics such as the 1957 and 1968 flus killed millions worldwide (many more than the coronovirus pandemic), yet only the medical community got involved in ensuring there would be enough hospital beds. The media and non-scientist politicians were not making recommendations or decisions, affecting all lives on the planet. The rate of mortality is similar to flu, not even close to the black plagues than killed 80% of those who got it during the middle ages. It is not even close to the Spanish flu of 1918, which was much worse that any of the pandemics in the last century. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 189.122.210.71 (talk) 19:00, 19 July 2020 (UTC)
 * You're mistaken about the mortality rate. Also, it's because of the radical measures and modern medicine that it's not more out of control.  The hoarding could possibly be considered a form of temporary hysteria, but we still need reliable sources covering it as such as well as consensus that it's WP:DUE for the article.  — Paleo  Neonate  – 19:30, 19 July 2020 (UTC)

Wikipedia's Talk pages provide more interesting information than the main pages these days. Here's the reference you've all been looking for: "COVID-19 and the Political Economy of Mass Hysteria", Int J Environ Res Public Health, 18 Feb 2021, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7913136/

External links modified
Hello,

I have added reliable sources to compare this pandemic to other more deadly flu pandemic in 1957 and 1968. Please see: the last two sources in this article. Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.103.204.14 (talk) 05:47, 4 August 2020 (UTC)

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US Election
A politico article that makes no mention about hysteria is the source for adding a highly charged claim that the entire US Republican party is experiencing a mass hysteria? The article only outlines some of Trumps viewpoints and doesn't discuss the Republican party at all.

Wikipedia keeps slipping further into the void.

Adding my agreement with the above. Paul Siraisi (talk) 12:23, 10 November 2020 (UTC)

Boldly removing this. The article makes no mention of “mass hysteria”, nor should a single Politico article be used to make this claim.  CatcherStorm    talk   12:43, 10 November 2020 (UTC)

Here is a recent article: US Capitol riot: Trump supporters could have had a mass psychosis 07:11, 9 March 2021 (UTC)

Conservative satirist P. J. O'Rourke called it in 2016: "America is experiencing the most severe outbreak of mass psychosis since the Salem witch trials of 1692." In Anything is better than Trump’s hand on nuclear button 07:11, 9 March 2021 (UTC)

Internet hysteria
It's probably dumb to ask this, but should this whole 'Amogus' fiasco be classified as mass hysteria? 2601:580:8200:7B90:D07C:EC28:D28B:FD8F (talk) 16:32, 1 March 2021 (UTC)

Honestly, it probably should. If nothing else, it's the largest-scale example of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon I can think of. Shawn3462 (talk) 05:22, 9 March 2021 (UTC)

I disagree. I don’t think that a game suddenly becoming very popular is mass hysteria. There are no signs of illness. Jtrrs0 (talk) 10:06, 9 March 2021 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 15 March 2021
The "2000s" section should be changed to "2000-present". 42.60.240.68 (talk) 14:22, 15 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done &#8209;&#8209; El Hef  ( Meep? ) 14:44, 15 March 2021 (UTC)

Mass hallucination
Mass hysteria is NOT Mass hallucination. There needs to be a separate list—if there is a list for Mass hallucination.... Currently, searching Mass hallucination forwards to this article. :( Misty MH (talk) 20:54, 25 May 2021 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 25 May 2021
Subheading ‘Middle Ages’ does not match dates beneath 82.6.172.205 (talk) 22:53, 25 May 2021 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: The Middle Ages are usually understood to have ended 1400-1500. Note that the dates provided in the two incidents refer to the date of the sources, not the respective incidents. 15 (talk) 23:06, 25 May 2021 (UTC)

Mass Hysteria & UFOs
Mass Hysteria is listed as a possible explanation for UFOs, but the referenced article makes no such assertion, I'll change the sentence to make this clearer.Chantern15 (talk) 07:59, 26 September 2021 (UTC)chantern15
 * This conclusion of the British, German & Scandanavian intelligence officers was reached in 1946, so I've switched its place to reflect that as well (1800-1950).Chantern15 (talk) 08:05, 26 September 2021 (UTC)chantern15

Mad Gasser of Mattoon
Why has the entry of "Mad Gasser of Mattoon" has had its description removed? The "war of the worlds broadcast" still has its. Please could this change be reverted? Thanks.Chantern15 (talk) 02:38, 9 October 2021 (UTC)chantern15
 * Ignore my comment, I looked at the history, and there is no such description, I guess I had my own case of mass hysteria. :D. Nevertheless there should be some description.Chantern15 (talk) 02:45, 9 October 2021 (UTC)chantern15

Opposition to Covid Vaccines?
Could the large minority of US population opposed to Covid vaccination be an instance of mass hysteria, driven by an underlying fear of vaccines or at least of new vaccines?
 * If they are a minority it can't be a MASS histeria can it. It would be a MINOR hysteria lol. Also, the fear of a virus with a 0.025% crude death rate that killed less people than obesity in the same year is also a hysteria of course. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.131.68.200 (talk) 08:36, 4 November 2021 (UTC)

Reaction to Covid
It was previously suggested that reaction to COVID is an anxiety epidemic triggered by COVID 789, or collective hysteria supported by mass and digital media in connection with the state which may have contributed to policy errors by governments not in line with health recommendations 10, see also Mass hysteria supported by media 11. Based on these scientific literature, would it make sense to add to the list reaction to COVID? See also Mass Panic Disaster Management in COVID-19 PandemicCovid-19 and the Political Economy of Mass HysteriaMass panic may be worse than the coronavirus itself. A. --192.114.3.241 (talk) 11:03, 29 November 2021 (UTC)

Havana Syndrome
I propose the addition of a very important case that may be considered controversial: The US Embassy Havana Syndrome sickness initially attributed to Russian sonic attacks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havana_syndrome?oldformat=true

Wilan11 (talk) 05:14, 11 April 2022 (UTC)Wilan11

Dr. Todd Grande explains mass hysteria can be a blameable cause for havannah syndrome
... not only DEWs of sound or microwaves origin, also giraffes in a zoo, crickets, other insect life and also mass hysteria in any way, shape or form, can be to blame for havannah syndrome to occur. Maybe, this should be also told to governments and inner security people whose children are attacked with this syndrome? Here is the Youtube video of him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSobnH5U22o --94.134.91.177 (talk) 21:33, 21 April 2022 (UTC)

== understandng = understanding2603:8000:D300:D0F:3000:C19E:8E1:70CB (talk) 04:09, 30 May 2022 (UTC) ==

2603:8000:D300:D0F:3000:C19E:8E1:70CB (talk) 04:09, 30 May 2022 (UTC)

Battle of Los Angeles
Is Battle of Los Angeles a case of mass hysteria? Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 02:17, 18 June 2022 (UTC)

Update article name to “Mass Psychological Illness”
Given that the term “hysteria” is archaic and fundamentally misogynistic, I would like to recommend that this article’s title be updated to replace that word with “psychological illness”. This would bring the article in-line with the corresponding entry for Mass Psychological Illness, where one is automatically redirected to when searching for “mass hysteria”. Continuing to link female sex organs with irrationality is a perpetuation of harm. Language matters. LadyIslay (talk) 15:56, 4 October 2021 (UTC)


 * That seems to be in line.Chantern15 (talk) 02:36, 9 October 2021 (UTC)chantern15

I agree that the current name is horrible and misogynistic, and should be changed, but I don't like "mass psychological illness" as a name at all. It's too clunky and not strictly accurate as you don't have to be literally mentally ill to get caught up in a mass panic. Which is what I think the name should be, actually. Mass panic seems like the best name to me. Seems like a more WP:COMMONNAME. StrexcorpEmployee (talk) 08:28, 22 June 2022 (UTC)

Comparing COVID-19 death rate to Hong Kong flu & Asian flu
I wanted to ask other's opinions about this edit and address some concerns I have with it. The edit says "Governments shut down whole economies, although the pandemic has less deaths on a global basis then the 1968 flu pandemic which killed 1 million people Hong Kong flu or 1957 Asian flu pandemic which killed 1.1 million people 1957–1958 influenza pandemic." Sources:

The main concern I have with the edit is that it seems to be very plainly original research, specifically synthesis - which is against Wikipedia policy. It seems the writing says governments shut down "whole economies" even though the death rate is lower than past pandemics - implying that there was no reason to shut down, even though the sources don't compare these two things. It's not reliably sourced or neutral, in my opinion. If there was a reliable source backing up what was written, I would not have reverted. Even if there was one, though, neither source mentions "hysteria" at all, so the info doesn't seem connected to this article. - Whisperjanes (talk) 06:22, 4 August 2020 (UTC)
 * Lmao I can't just help but laugh that someone thought standard infection control was mass hysteria because it hadn't killed as many as two previous flu pandemics yet. It's killed more than the two combined just in case ya missed it. It's people like this, those who are incapable of comprehending things getting bigger or exponential growth, is the very reason we're in the midst of the deadliest pandemic in a hundred years. -AndrewRG10 (talk) 05:00, 22 February 2021 (UTC)
 * AndrewRG10, did you mean the obesity pandemy? 2.8 million people died thanks to obesity in 2020, in comparison to the 2sh that died from corona. Disregard also the fact that these 2.8 million people equivalent of the population have been dying every year for decades. And, well, if you want to comprehend exponential growth please explain how all countries, masked, unmasked, open, closed have a 10% coverage of the population case wise with an alleged virus that has a positive r rate and supposedly is airborne. Now tell me, are you completely and absolutely sure you are not living in fear and being sucked in into a mass hysteria? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.131.68.200 (talk) 08:30, 4 November 2021 (UTC)
 * The Covid Pandemic can be mathematically proven to be the largest mass hysteria of homo sapiens. 95.208.75.103 (talk) 09:03, 21 July 2022 (UTC)

Do it then. StrexcorpEmployee (talk) 08:56, 24 July 2022 (UTC)

Meowing/biting nuns
There should probably be a note on this entry that at least for the meowing nuns (and perhaps the biting as well) there is no contemporary evidence that corroborates the story. The book it comes from was written in 1844, not a time period known for historical integrity. Also, the anecdote was written in an unscientific and sexist context--the author noted that women are particularly susceptible to these types of psychogenic illnesses. Finally, the author of the book, Hecker, mentions "the police" telling the women to stop, which is a pretty glaring anachronism. Chucklehammer (talk) 06:10, 29 August 2022 (UTC)


 * Just a note, the source of these nun stories is not Hecker. The "book" is actually a collection of works by Hecker (which were originally written in German) translated into English by Benjamin Guy Babington. The nun stories are actually from a translator's note by Babington and do not exist in the original texts.

NMGWP (talk) 04:26, 1 November 2022 (UTC)


 * Both nun stories are from Zimmermann on Solitude, Vol. II. Leipzig. 1784, which is also cited in that footnote in the Hecker translation. You can read Zimmermann here, although it is in somewhat non-standard German and Fraktur script. I haven't found an english translation (other than Babington's). The meowing nuns are pages 71-72 of the book (scan pages 119-120, and the biting nuns are on page 73 (scan page 121). On the meowing, Zimmermann cites a "good medical book", while on the biting, he cites only "stories which are known [to him]". I too question the reliability of this source and Zimmermann's sexism is clear. On a side note, I think the anachronistic "police" is just a poor translation of "Policey", which is not a modern German word and had more to do with public order generally rather than a modern police force (see, also in German, de:Polizeibegriff in Deutschland). My amateur translation would be that the nuns did not stop meowing until they "were advised that for reasons of public order soldiers had been placed at the entrance of the convent who would whip the nuns...until they promised to never meow again". Regardless, on balance I don't think Zimmermann's book is a particularly reliable source for these stories and I don't think that Babington's retelling changes that. I'll let others decide if the in-text attribution in our article sufficiently addresses the issues with the source. Anyways I had fun researching this. Happy editing! BananaCarrot152 (talk) 20:21, 6 November 2022 (UTC)

Bolsonaro voters "Bolsominions"
I think there should be a note about Bolsonaro voters who are on the streets believing that the elections were rigged, several of them are asking for military intervention and believe that any movement by the army will be the start of a new dictatorship, also believing that one of the members of the STF Alexandre de Moraes was arrested several times and the most recent one, trying to summon aliens HiroshiAkidawa (talk) 16:00, 21 November 2022 (UTC)