Uttarakhand: Students cry, bang heads in suspected mass hysteria, video goes viral

New Delhi, July 29: A shocking video of a group of students, mostly girls, crying inconsolably together without any apparent reason at a government school in Raikholi area of Bageshwar district is doing rounds on social media.

In the viral clip, a group of students were seen screaming, crying and banging their heads in a case of suspected mass hysteria. The incident has triggered concern among parents as well as authorities.

Following the incident, a team of doctors and government officials visited the school in Raikhuli village in Bageshwar and took stock of the situation.

Vimla Devi, head teacher of the school, told News18 that the sudden change in behaviour of students was first reported on Tuesday. A similar incident took place again on Thursday. "They were crying, shouting, shivering, and even trying to bang heads for no reason. We called parents, they summoned a local priest and this is how the situation came under control," Vimla Devi said.

Incidents of mass hysteria have previously been reported in government schools in neighbouring districts such as Almora, Pithoragarh, and Chamoli.

What is mass hysteria?

Mass hysteria is a phenomenon that transmits collective illusions of threats, whether real or imaginary, through a population and society as a result of rumors and fear.

In medicine term, it is described as the spontaneous manifestation-or production of chemicals in the body-of the same or similar hysterical physical symptoms by more than one person.

A common type of mass hysteria occurs when a group of people believes that they have a similar disease or ailment, sometimes referred to as mass sociogenic illness or epidemic hysteria.

There is no official treatment for mass psychogenic illness.