Providentia

Is Social Media Causing a Mass Psychogenic Epidemic?

A new study by German researchers warns of a bizarre mass psychogenic illness that is apparently being spread by social media exclusively. 

According to the research team led by Dr. Kirsten R Müller-Vahl at the Hannover University Medical School, an increasing number of videos have been recently released on social media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram showing people who claim to be suffering from Tourette's syndrome — a childhood-onset chronic combined motor and vocal tic disorder. First identified by French neurologist Gilles de la Tourette in the 19th century, Tourette syndrome is chronically underdiagnosed but is still the most well-known childhood tic disorder. 

This epidemic of new cases appeared to have started in 2019 after a German YouTube channel, “Gewitter im Kopf” (English: “Thunderstorm in the Brain”), was launched by a 22-year-old man called Jan Zimmermann. While Zimmermann does appear to be suffering from a mild form of Tourette's, the researchers examining his videos observed that many of the symptoms being displayed appear exaggerated, whether deliberately or not. As the researchers noted, "On this YouTube channel, however, he shows a countless number of movements, vocalizations, words, phrases, and bizarre behaviours that he claims are tics, but are clearly functional in nature. Tourette experts can easily tell the difference."   

Three months after the first video was released, it attracted more than a million viewers making Zimmermann the top YouTube breakout creator in Germany in 2019. He has since created hundreds of other videos and started a channel with nearly three million subscribers. This was soon followed by Zimmermann's launch of a line of merchandise, including caps and shirts, as well as a new mobile app containing many of Zimmermann's most popular "vocal tics." Though several Tourette's advocacy groups initially supported the YouTube channel, they quickly distanced themselves as Zimmermann's marketing strategy became apparent.

The researchers also noticed a sharp rise in young patients referred to their specialized clinic for Tourette's cases associated with the University of Hannover. Over the past two years, many of these new cases presented symptoms almost identical to what Zimmerman displayed in his videos. 

Read my new Psychology Today blog post for more.

 

 

 

 

How Does PTSD Affect People in the Workplace?

Objective: There is evidence that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a hidden barrier to employment among individuals with serious mental illnesses (SMI) among whom PTSD is highly prevalent.  A new study published in the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal aimed to explore how PTSD interferes with achieving employment outcomes among persons with SMI. Methods: Participants included 119 individuals with SMI and co-occurring PTSD receiving Supported Employment services. Responses to the question, “In what ways are PTSD symptoms interfering with your work during the past month?” were analyzed. Results: Six themes emerged: (a) I don’t like being around people, (b) I feel frozen and unable to get started, (c) troubling negative affect, (d) mind is scattered and all over the place, (e) feeling fatigued all the time, and (f) flashbacks and triggers can happen whenever. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Findings provide insight into how PTSD symptoms impact work outcomes and suggest that there is a need for Supported Employment providers to screen clients for trauma exposure to identify those in need of additional support in order to improve work outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

For the abstract

When Therapists are Stalked

Studies over the past 30 years suggest that health professionals, professionals from the criminal justice system, and university faculty are all at increased risk of being stalked in their professional role. However, the literature on stalking of professionals is fragmented and tends to be siloed within each profession. TA scoping review published in the Journal of Threat Assessment and Management compares the experiences of victims across professions, the impact of stalking on those from different professions, and the responses of employing organizations to the stalking. The review makes clear that stalking is commonly experienced in a variety of different professional roles and the nature of stalking and its impacts are broadly similar, regardless of the targeted profession. The responses of employers are routinely reported as unhelpful by victims of stalking. The findings from the scoping review are used to inform recommendations to improve organizational responses to stalking. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

For the abstract

Surviving Hurricanes

Climate change has increased the likelihood that each tropical cyclone will intensify to a major hurricane, destroying communities and causing tremendous distress. The purpose of a new study in the journal Traumatology explored the role of negative coping behaviors, situational factors (emotional responses, stressors, coping strategies), and dispositional factors (trait gratitude and hope) that may contribute to depressive symptoms in the aftermath of Hurricanes Maria and Michael (H-MM). Cross-sectional data were collected through a questionnaire from communities in Florida that were directly impacted by Hurricanes Maria and Michael in 2017 and 2018 (N = 566; Mage = 41.3, 28% minorities). Hierarchical regression procedures were utilized to explore factors predicting depressive symptoms, with blocks of variables added following predetermined steps. Respondents who reported more hurricane-related negative emotions and stressors and who relied more on negative coping behaviors were more likely to report depressive symptoms, but those who reported greater hope and gratitude were less likely to have symptoms. To improve the health and well-being of disaster victims, future research should further examine negative coping and positive affect so as to improve interventions as well as disaster relief efforts in affected communities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

For the abstract

Eight-Year-Old Boy Charged with Blasphemy in Pakistan

An eight-year-old Hindu boy has been formally charged with violating Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws over an incident occurring at a madrassa in Pakistan's Punjab province.  The boy's arrest occurred in late July of this year when a teacher at the madrassa laid a complaint after the boy allegedly urinated on a carpet in the madrassa's library.  Police promptly arrested the boy and charged him with blasphemy, holding him in prison for a week before a court granted him bail on August 4. 

Following the boy's release, protesters desecrated the Siddhi Vinayak Temple in Bhong village where the boy lived.   He and his family have since gone into hiding as have numerous other Hindu families living in the area.  Paramilitary troops have since been deployed to the area to diffuse the situation and prevent further unrest. To date,  50 people have been arrested for vandalizing the Hindu temple and 100 more are still being investigated.  

Muslim-Hindu tensions remain high this year with more than a dozen attacks on Hindu temples in the past twelve months.  Responding to international outrage over the latest incident, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has called for the arrest of all those involved as well as pledging that the Pakistani government will restore the temple.  As for the still-unnamed boy, the charges have been dropped following pressure from media and human rights groups.  Though Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, the Special Representative to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony and the Middle East, initially denied media reports, he has since called for an investigation of the police officers who laid the original charges.

For more information

 

 

Zimbabwe Exorcism/Baptism Deaths Attributed to "Mermaids"

“I am shaken. I am beside myself. This has never happened in my life, and I do not know how to tell people about this, including my own relatives."

For self-styled prophet  Amos Chituri of Agness Access Apostolic Church (AAAC) based in Zimbabwe's Mutasa district, the combination baptism/exorcism he conducted last July likely seemed like a simple matter.   Instead, it resulted in three deaths and propelled Chituri and his fellow congregation members into a mystery that has generated international attention.  

Though the 49-year-old Chituri had been called to the nearby village of Tazvigwira to see a mentally ill child, he met with village elder Victor Tazvigwira as a courtesy.   Until Chituri "prophesized" that the elder was being haunted by the spirit of a man whose bones he had once found and needed to be cleansed as a result.   As a result, Chituri, Tazvigwira, the elder's wife, and two children, along with several youth members of Chituri's congregation, all went to the nearby Musogwezi River on July 21, 2021, for a combination baptism/exorcism ceremony.  

All nine people gathered at a shallow pool by the river and removed their shoes to prepare for the ceremony.  The pool itself was not considered dangerous and local children often swam there.  While Chituri stood at the pool's edge, other congregation members then began "speaking in tongues" and plunged into the pool.   They then reportedly heard "huge trembling noise from the pool and the hills above" and reportedly felt a force pushing them under the water.   According to Tazvigwira in an interview with media, "We could see each other as we struggled to escape from the bottom of the pool. Surprisingly we never bumped against one another, and we never gulped any water. I raised my hands to try and alert those outside of our predicament. After a while, I mysteriously found myself thrown out of the pool and lying on the ground. I still don’t know how I came out."  

It was only while recovering from the ordeal that the group noticed that three were still missing.  They were  Cosmas Mvicha, Witness Chirombo of Silas Village, and Fungai Berevedzai, a 14-year-old Form 2 girl at Mapakomhere High School.   After spending most of the day praying for their safe return, apparently in the belief that the others had been taken away by "mermaids"  (part of local folklore).  Realizing that their prayers were not effective, Chituri and the remaining group members finally contacted local authorities.  

A week-long vigil followed as people waited by the pool to see if the missing villagers would be returned.  Though police attempted to send in divers to investigate the pool and river, villagers blocked them, hoping that their traditional rituals might work in getting the three returned safely.   Spirit mediums also conducted ceremonies with no real results.  Finally, after seven days, the bodies of the three floated to the surface, one at a time over the course of several hours.   One of the emerging bodies was even photographed by local media.

While police are still investigating, villagers remain terrified about the mystery surrounding the three deaths.  Suffice it say, children are not swimming in that pool, anymore.

For more information.

 

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Saving Ezra Pound

The end of World War II in 1945 was a time for celebration, but it was also a time of reckoning. While the Nuremberg trials for Nazi war criminals were still in the planning stage, legal proceedings against enemy collaborators were well underway. In Great Britain, the trial of William Joyce (a.k.a. Lord Haw-haw) for treason due to his Nazi propaganda broadcasts led to his execution in 1946.

And then there was Ezra Pound...

As a major figure in 20th-century poetry, Pound's expatriate life in Italy led to his becoming an advocate for the Axis powers. He opposed the war (particularly the involvement of the United States) and expressed his support for Mussolini and Fascism through numerous radio broadcasts and writings. Even after the United States entered the war, Pound continued to be active in Italian politics until being arrested by Italian partisans in 1945. His incarceration by American forces near Pisa (including 25 days in an open cage) led to a nervous breakdown. Only after the end of the war was Pound finally sent to the United States for trial but what happened then is still a matter of controversy. While being a world-renowned poet, Pound was also reviled for his anti-Semitic views and his role as a Fascist collaborator.

Since treason was technically a capital offense at the time, Pound and his defense counsel had ample motivation to arrange a plea bargain stating that he was unfit to stand trial. There was absolutely no indication that Pound was actually suffering from mental illness but the plea bargain was quickly accepted to avoid embarrassing publicity. It seemed likely that Pound and his attorneys were hoping that he could be released after the public furor died down. Unfortunately for Pound, this gambit backfired. He was sent to St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, D.C. where he would spend the next thirteen years of his life.

His treating psychiatrists seemed confused about what to do with him and it was only in 1953, after considerable prodding from the Justice Department, that a formal diagnosis was given: narcissistic personality disorder. Despite the fact that he was never diagnosed as suffering from a major mental illness, Pound continued to be held in the hospital. There is also some controversy over whether Pound received special treatment while in hospital since he was able to continue with his literary efforts (he would write three books there) as well as receiving numerous visits from family members and fellow writers.  He even engaged in conjugal visits with his wife (not to mention his mistress).  While in hospital, Pound continued to have an influence on a whole generation of new writers. Despite being allowed some freedom to pursue his writing, Pound hated his hospital stay and depended on his frequent visitors to keep him sane.

Only after numerous appeals from his fellow writers (including the poet Robert Frost) was Pound finally released in 1958 into the custody of his wife, Dorothy.  Interviewed after his release, he gave the famous quip that " all America is a lunatic asylum" and returned to Italy to live for the rest of his life. Pound would continue to write avidly but lived as a near-recluse with his long-time mistress, Olga Rudge (he and Dorothy separated after their return to Italy). While he became a little less rigid in his declining years and disavowed many of his anti-Semitic views, he remained largely unapologetic to the very end.  Ezra Pound died in 1972, just after celebrating his 87th birthday, and is buried in San Michele Cemetery on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore near Venice.

What are we to make of this case? Critics of psychiatry often tend to paint Pound as a victim of psychiatric abuse while others regard him as a traitor who managed to escape justice.  Ezra Pound was not a sympathetic figure but his 13-year incarceration in a mental hospital remains a graphic example of how psychiatric hospitals can be used to "warehouse" people regardless of their actual mental status. It is a misuse of psychiatric hospitals that continues to occur in too many countries around the world.

Does Team Spirit Prevent Suicide?

Issues related to professional sport transcend far beyond the world of sport itself. Previous research on the topic of sport and suicide has found that a significant association exists between the success of professional sport teams and the well-being of people in general. A new study published in The Sociological Quarterly examines suicide rates in United States’ metropolitan areas from 2006 to 2007 and from 2009 to 2010 to measure the association between suicide rates and the success of professional sport teams in these same metropolitan areas. Results from statistical analyses reveal that the successes of professional sport teams are significantly related to lower suicide rates, while the only game in town hypothesis was not supported. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

For the abstract.

"Virus Shut-Out" Lanyards and other Quack Anti-COVID Nostrums Still Popular Worldwide

They're known as "Toamit Virus Shout-Out" lanyards, which have already been banned across half of Asia.  But despite being denounced as ineffectual and potentially dangerous, the lanyards continue to be sold in shops worldwide.   The lanyards were even available on eBay for a time, at least until late last year when a  Massachusetts man was sentenced in federal court to one-year probation and ordered to pay $1,500 due to falsely claiming that they warded off viruses and infections in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Based on the eBay listing, the pesticide took the form of a “card-shaped device to be worn as a lanyard around the user’s neck,” authorities said. The listing also stated, “TOAMIT JAPAN VIRUS SHUT OUT SANITATION DISINFECT CARD DEORDORIZE SANITIZE.”   Other online listings for the same product included the explicit claim that the product would protect the buyer or wearer of the product from viruses or bacteria, stating that the product’s main ingredient was chlorine dioxide and showed images of the device’s purported removal of bacteria, germs, and viruses,” according to prosecutors.   Most of the lanyards were made in Japan though most of the labeling and medical risks have not been translated from Japanese.

The chlorine dioxide, which is one of the central ingredients of the lanyard, is basically a form of bleach and has already generated FDA warnings about its use in other anti-viral products.  Though the lanyard themselves are not considered dangerous to adults who handle them properly,  cases of adults being hospitalized after drinking chlorine dioxide products have already been reported.  Medical authorities have also warned about the potential dangers that chlorine dioxide exposure poses to children.   That includes concerns that children might open the lanyard packets and even drink the contents.  But early childhood centers in New Zealand and other places have already reported children being sent to class wearing the products.  

For now, the products continue to be sold, along with a wide range of other "anti-virus" remedies of spurious value.   As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, there is no shortage of business opportunities for hucksters hoping to make a profit.   No word on whether any of them have been vaccinated. 

 

Will Pellagra Make a Comeback?

Pellagra is a vitamin deficiency disease that is often reported in Africa, Central America, and South-east Asia. Caused by tryptophan and niacin-poor diets, it has also been identified in marginalized individuals in industrial societies (especially homeless, chronic alcoholic, and psychiatric patients who refuse food). Symptoms of pellagra include light sensitivity, dementia, diarrhea, and dermatitis. In advanced cases, pellagra can lead to psychotic delusions. Left untreated, pellagra cases die after several years without proper nutrition.

While first identified in Spain in the 18th century, it received its name from an epidemic in Italy ("pelle agra" means bitter skin in Italian). Pellagra was epidemic in parts of the US in the early 1900s before the nutritional basis for the disease was identified and niacin supplements made treatment possible. While easy to diagnose and treat, physicians often miss vital clues, especially in industrialized societies where pellagra is less likely to be encountered. Even in non-industrialized countries, improved standard of living and greater diversity in dietary sources have made pellagra less common.

But an article published a few years back in the American Journal of Therapeutics discussed the possible resurgence of pellagra in HIV patients and anorexia nervosa patients who neglect proper nutrition. The authors also reviewed a case f pellagra identified through the warning triad of "dermatosis, diarrhea, and dementia" and properly treated.   In the twelve years since that particular study was published,   there has been an upswing in new pellagra cases which have been largely linked to the popularity of certain restricted diets such as extreme veganism.   A 2021 article reviews a case of pellagra involving a strict vegan who was diagnosed and treated for pellagra and warns health professionals of the need to stay aware of how easily such a patient might be misdiagnosed.     

For all that it is considered extinct in affluent countries, pellagra has never completely gone away.    Something to think about if you are considering a new fad diet...