Salem Witch Trials. Mass Delusions and Hysterias: Highlights from the Past Millennium. Article Robert E. Bartholomew and Erich Goode Volume 24.3, May / June 2000 Over the past millennium, mass delusions and hysterical outbreaks have taken many forms. Sociologists Robert Bartholomew and Erich Goode survey some of the more colorful cases. The turn of the second millennium has brought about, in the Western world at least, an outpouring of concern about cosmic matters. A major portion of this concern has taken a delusional, even hysterical turn, specifically in imagining an end-of-the-world scenario. The study of collective delusions most commonly falls within the domain of sociologists working in the sub-field of collective behavior, and psychologists specializing in social psychology.
Mass hysteria is characterized by the rapid spread of conversion disorder, a condition involving the appearance of bodily complaints for which there is no organic basis. Middle Ages, France Fifteenth Century Germany A nun in a German nunnery fell to biting all her companions. Milan, Italy, 1630. Erin Brockovich to probe New York 'mass hysteria' case. Erin Brockovich has announced she'll be looking into an outbreak of Tourette's-like symptoms among a group of high school students in western New York, to see if they have any environmental causes.
Around 15 girls at Le Roy High School have developed strange symptoms since last fall: uncontrollable verbal outbursts and physical twitches so debilitating that one student interviewed by ABC has to use a wheelchair. New York Department of Health authorities looking into the matter reportedly found no sign of environmental causes or infectious agents.
Some have diagnosed the illnesses as a type of conversion disorder, in which psychological stress can induce a host of physical symptoms. Though the causes may be in the mind, the effects can be highly debilitating. According to the Mayo Clinic, they can include difficulty swallowing, deafness, seizures and even paralysis. Nonetheless, warns the NYU Langone Medical Center, the symptoms of the illness are very real and should not be taken lightly. Mass Hysteria Develops in New York Teenagers. The Great New England Vampire Panic. Adolescent Girl Hysteria.