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ONE CLINIC LINKED MASS HYSTERIA TO SOCIAL MEDIA
One Clinic Linked Mass Hysteria To Social Media
Outbreaks Typically Spread Through Sight And Sound
Researchers Asked If Social Media Could Replace Direct Contact
On TikTok People Share Video Clips Of Themselves
These Are Often Meant To Be Copied
In 2021 Popular Creators On TikTok Showed Their Own Tics
Thousands Of Young People Who Watched Reported Having Them Too
These Tics Are Called Functional When No Neurological Cause Is Found
THIS NEWSLETTER IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. NOTHING IN THIS CONTENT CONSTITUTES MEDICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. ALWAYS CONSULT A QUALIFIED HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL BEFORE MAKING ANY HEALTH RELATED DECISIONS.
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TICS THAT MATCHED A GERMAN YOUTUBER 🎥
Doctors In Hannover Germany Run A Clinic For Tourette Syndrome
They Saw Many Patients With Functional Tics
Their Symptoms Closely Resembled Those Of A Popular German YouTuber
The YouTuber Portrayed Jerky Movements And Complex Utterances
Utterances Are Words Or Sounds Spoken Aloud
The Doctors Said Social Contagion Played An Important Part
Social Contagion Is The Spread Of Behavior From Person To Person
The Patients Met The Criteria For Mass Sociogenic Illness
That Is Another Name For Mass Hysteria
Its Criteria Include Rapid Spread Within Socially Connected Groups
They Also Include The Absence Of An Identifiable Organic Cause
The Doctors Said The Tics Spread Only Through Social Media
They Did Not Spread Through Direct Contact Between People
So The Doctors Proposed A New Name
They Called It Mass Social Media Induced Illness
Their Clinic Followed Up On 53 Of These Patients
The Examinations Ran From May 2019 To May 2023
Findings On 32 Of Them Were Published First
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THE SAME TICS IN OTHER COUNTRIES 🌍
Doctors In Other Countries Reported Similar Cases
A Review Gathered The Published Case Series
Three Came From The United Kingdom
Two Were From The United States
Denmark And Hungary Each Had One
So Did Germany
The Largest Came From A Registry Of Ten Specialist Centers
They Were In North America And Europe As Well As Australia
One UK Clinic Saw 105 Patients
Half Had Seen Tics On Social Media Before Their Own Began
Females Were A Larger Share Than In Developmental Tic Disorders
Developmental Tic Disorders Include Tourette Syndrome
Doctors Who Treat Teens Began Linking Functional Tics To Social Media
That Link Was Anecdotal At First
The Teenage Patients Were More Often Female
Several Had Watched Social Media Videos Of Sudden Tic Episodes
Some Had Also Seen Videos Of Seizures That Were Not Epileptic
These Doctors Said Most Young Patients Had Seen Such Content
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WHAT THE VIDEOS DO NOT PROVE ❓
The Causes Of The Rise In Functional Tics Are Unknown
Existing Health Problems And Social Media May Both Play A Role
Some Patients Had Not Seen The Videos
They Had Seen Tics At School Or Had Close Friends With Tics
Whether Mass Hysteria Can Spread Through Social Media Alone Is Unclear
That Means Spread Among People With No Other Connection
Earlier Cases Of Unexplained Illness On YouTube Failed To Spread
Skepticism Online May Even Hinder The Spread
Doctors In London Described A 12 Year Old Girl With Sudden Tics
Her Tics Began In Her First Year Of Secondary School
They Began After The First COVID Lockdown
Leg Twitches Turned Into Facial Tics And A Squeaking Tic In 3 Days
She Was Diagnosed With Functional Tics
Her Doctors Linked The Onset To Difficulties In Her Life
Likely Triggers Were Low Mood And Anxiety After A Bullying Episode
Starting A New School During The Pandemic Was Another
So Were Wider Family Stresses
Her Tics Became Minimal After Help At School Alone
