Social media suspected to be behind spread of twitching disorder

Salt Lake City Sun (ANI) Saturday 4th February, 2012

A strange outbreak of twitching disorder in upstate New York may be spreading through social media as a kind of subconscious mimicry, say experts.

Doctors treating the case of nearly 20 teenagers with the disorder say the symptoms may be spreading faster through the girls' own use of Facebook and other forms of social media.

Experts have diagnosed the problem as a form of mass hysteria in which an individual, usually a young woman, becomes ill during a period of stress, and others in the same community, school or workplace begin to show the same physical symptoms.

Last fall, several girls in the small town of LeRoy, NY, began complaining of involuntary facial and body twitching that resembled Tourette's syndrome. Since then, a dozen girls from 13 years to 18 years old have been affected, as well as one boy.

In the past week, four new cases have been presented for a total of 19 patients, according to Dr Laszlo Mechtler, chief of neurology at the Dent Neurologic Institute in Buffalo. MSNBC has reported that a 36 year-old woman in the town has also come down with the twitching.

"When one has a symptom, it can be reinforced and magnified with other individuals with similar symptoms," Discovery News quoted Dr Mechtler as saying.

"That's what's going on with these girls. They are in a segregated small rural town in New York state. They are a cohesive group. And this wildfire of symptoms takes control," he said.

Mechtler, who has treated about half of the patients, says some of the girls are best friends, others know each other from the soccer team or cheerleading squad. He and other doctors have diagnosed the problem as psychogenic movement disorder, which is a form of conversion disorder.

That means that the brain is actually subconsciously mimicking the twitching felt by others. While the exact neurologic pathway is still unclear, researchers believe the common factor is stress and anxiety. Mechtler emphasized that the girls are not faking their twitching.

Some parents have rejected that diagnosis and believe that some kind of environmental toxin is to blame. They've asked environmental activist Erin Brockovich to investigate a spill of chemicals in the town that occurred more than 40 years ago.

State health officials say the spill was cleaned up, and that they've performed extensive testing for both chemicals and other toxins, such as mold, in the school. Doctors have also tested the girls for traces of chemicals but all came up negative.

Several of the teenagers have posted videos of themselves on YouTube asking people for help in diagnosing their condition. They're also sharing their symptoms on Facebook.

Dr David G Lichter, professor of Neurology at the University of Buffalo who has treated several patients as well, saw some of the teens' videos last weekend, and was astounded at how similar the ticks were.

"It's remarkable to see how one individual posts something, and then the next person posts something - not only are the movements bizarre and not consistent with known movement disorders, but it's the same kind of movements," Lichter said.

"This mimicry goes on with Facebook or YouTube exposure... This is the modern way that symptomology could be spread," he added.

Lichter said that the longer parents wait to get their children treated - which usually involves psychotherapy and medications to relieve stress or anxiety - the longer the disorder will last. However, he did add that some girls are already improving with treatment. (ANI)