Collective Behaviors: Mass Panic and Outbreaks of Multiple Unexplained Symptoms

Abstract

The general public, the mass media, and many government officials believe that the use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) will inevitably lead to mass panic and/or mass hysteria. However, studies of disasters and wars show that disorganized flight in the presence of a real or perceived danger (i.e., mass panic) is rare. On the other hand, in a real or perceived WMD scenario, outbreaks of multiple unexplained symptoms (i.e., mass psychogenic illness, mass sociogenic illness, mass hysteria, or epidemic hysteria) may be prevalent. Many of the symptoms (fatigue, nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness/lightheadedness, and anorexia) are common in combat and after toxic chemical exposure, chemical weapon exposure, prodromal infectious illness, and acute radiation sickness.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 20, 2002
Accession Number
ADA400319

Entities

People

  • Ross H. Pastel

Organizations

  • United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accidents
  • Anorexia
  • Casualties
  • Chemical Weapons
  • Civil Defense
  • Disasters
  • Health Services
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Military Medicine
  • Neurotic Disorders
  • Pain
  • Poisoning
  • Radiation
  • Radiation Sickness
  • Respiration Disorders
  • Weapons
  • Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Readers

  • Gulf War Illness and Chronic Multisymptom Illness in Veterans.
  • Infectious Disease/Epidemiology
  • Strategic Security Studies