Massive psychogenic disease or collective hysteria, why does it happen?

Imagine that we travel by plane on a nine -hour flight. A pale -looking passenger does not stop coughing. His appearance is to be sick. Shortly after starting the trip, the rumor spreads throughout the plane that the passenger has a highly contagious disease. The famous passenger does not stop coughing and also begins to feel nausea. People on the plane begin to feel discomfort. Sweat, anxiety, feel that the sick passenger has infected them. It is only a simple cold, but a large number of travelers begin to feel sick. What's going on? This is massive or mass psychogenic disease.

Mass psychogenic disease, also known as epidemic hysteria, is a disturbing topic to the interesting torque. A rumor is only enough to trigger a general physical and psychological discomfort. But why does this phenomenon happen? Throughout the article we will deepen the reasons for this fact and detail some elements that can give the key to these events. Let's start!

Content

• Mass psychogenic disease (EPM)
• But if I have nothing, why do I feel bad?
• How is the diagnosis made if "there is nothing"?
  • Conclusion
  • Bibliography

Mass psychogenic disease (EPM)

As Alfredo Darío (2018) describes in his article "Mass psychogenic disease. Report of three non -recent episodes ", The EPM "It is characterized by the appearance of symptoms and polymorphos signs in a cohesive group of people undergoing stress, that their members spread rapidly, who begin to feel sick at the same time, Although there is no physical or environmental reason for this to happen". They are understood as symptoms and polymorphs different types of symptoms and signs such as: headache, fainting, sweat, tachycardia, weakness, sensation of suffocation ..

As Darío mentions, it is not necessary that there is a physical or environmental reason. In the case of the plane, the sick subject could serve as a trigger stimulus, but a rumor would also be enough without physical evidence. Imagine that we live in a neighborhood and a rumor of the spread of a gastrointestinal virus begins to spread. It is possible, that in a few days, several neighbors go to the health center alluding that they feel bad. However, in the medical review, everything would appear normal, without signs or symptoms of any virus.

But if I have nothing, why do I feel bad?

Mass psychogenic disease represents a stressful element. The sociologist Robert Bartholomew emphasizes that it is the subject himself who mentally triggers the symptoms. It is common for fear and anxiety that individuals can feel accompanied by physiological signs and symptoms. In the same way that many people when they are exposed to a phobia can suffer from dizziness, tremors, sweats and other symptoms, if the person believes that he is exposed to a disease, his mind, given this fact that he interprets as stressful, he triggers similar symptoms.

The disease they think is not real, but the symptoms yes. That is, despite not having infected any viruses, dizziness, sweat or palpitations that may present if they are real. The stress that has triggered the feared situation has produced the physiological reaction in the subjects, thus believing that they have been affected by real disease.

How is the diagnosis made if "there is nothing"?

In the diagnosis of mass psychogenic disease you have to take several points into account. On the one hand, observe the number of patients who show up suddenly. For example, it is not the same to serve two patients who accuse of being affected, who thirty in one day. It will also be important that medical results are normal. That is, there is no apparent cause of symptoms.

According to Darío (2018), The symptoms depend largely on the disease created by the person who has. States that the characteristics of the outbreaks include:

• Symptoms without plausible organic base.
• Benign and transient symptoms.
• Occurs in a segregated group.
• Presence of high anxiety.
• Fast starting and recovery symptoms.
• Existence of greater affectation in younger ages.
• Symptoms that propagate through sound, oral communication or view.

Conclusion

The prevention of this phenomenon is complicated. The best is a good medical diagnosis and calm the patient. If the tests do not show any type of pathology, the ideal is to make the individual see a picture of anxiety and stress. Scientific literature on mass psychogenic disease is scarce, therefore, there is not much information about it.

Undoubted. That is why we encourage them to continue investigating these events.

Bibliography

Darío, a. (2018). Mass psychogenic disease. Non -Recent Episodes Report. Medisur, 16 (6), 980-987