Vulnerable
Ruth Graham does a good job at Slate with a recap of the situation in upstate New York, where 14 high school girls and one boy are suffering with a condition that may bear a bit of resemblance to Tourette's syndrome--that neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by motor and vocal tics (many of which take a rather florid form). Erin Brockovich thinks a toxin is to blame, and there was a big chemical spill nearby their school in 1970. But nearly all of the affected are female, and as more medical professionals review the facts, it seems like the likeliest diagnosis is probably conversion disorder, aka mass hysteria. Salem Witch Trials, the 1962 laughing epidemic at a girls's school in Tanzania, the 1965 fainting event at a girls' school in England--yup, that mass hysteria. Caitlin Flanagan offered some insight into why girls may be susceptible to this disorder a few days ago in the New York Times.
Tourette's is a generally misunderstood and ridiculed disorder most equated to incessant swearing and shouting uncontrollably. This is an insiders perspective of what it is like to grow up with Tourette's Syndrome from an early age.
Posted by: Rehab ranch | March 01, 2012 at 12:10 AM