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The influence of newspaper reports on outbreaks of mass hysteria

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Abstract

A previous study suggested that newspaper reports contributed to the generation and propagation of a recent epidemic of “mysterious gas poisoning” among Arab schoolgirls. To further explore the role of the press in mass hysteria, the authors reviewed newspaper reports related to two separate outbreaks of hysteria among schoolchildren. Despite extensive coverage of both epidemics, only one questionably related new outbreak and no relapses of illness in the original settings occurred following these reports. The variable influence the media may have on mass hysteria and the multitude of other factors that can affect such outbreaks are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. From the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles

    Gary W. Small M.D. & Jonathan F. Borus M.D.

  2. the Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, USA

    Gary W. Small M.D. & Jonathan F. Borus M.D.

  3. the Harvard Program in Psychiatric Epidemiology, Boston

    Gary W. Small M.D. & Jonathan F. Borus M.D.

Authors
  1. Gary W. Small M.D.
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  2. Jonathan F. Borus M.D.
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Small, G.W., Borus, J.F. The influence of newspaper reports on outbreaks of mass hysteria. Psych Quart 58, 269–278 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01064608

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01064608

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