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E. Steve Roach, MD; Ricky L. Langley, MD, MPH

Arch Neurol. 2004;61:1269-1272.

We describe 10 students from a small rural secondary school with episodes resembling seizures or syncopal attacks. Several students were initially treated for epilepsy or syncope, but the temporal pattern of the attacks, the simultaneous resolution of the episodes during a school holiday, and the fact that 4 students subsequently had pseudoseizures confirmed by video-electroencephalography strongly suggest mass hysteria. Seven students were treated with antiepileptic medications, and most underwent multiple diagnostic studies. Prompt recognition of mass hysteria allows physicians to avoid unnecessary tests and treatments and to reassure those affected as well as the general public.

Author Affiliations: Department of Neurology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC (Dr Roach), and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Raleigh (Dr Langley).