Question

A recent news story describes an unusual condition found among females at a local high school. After eating frozen yogurt from their cafeteria, a number of girls have begun to "spin wildly" throughout the lunchroom until being restrained by a faculty hall monitor. Immediately after being stopped, each girl reported feeling compelled to "spin" after eating. The number of girls involved in these incidents increased until the yogurt machine was removed from the cafeteria. In all probability, this behavior can be considered an episode of:

a) Mass hysteria
b) Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
c) Panic disorder
d) Anorexia nervosa'

Answer 1

The episode described in the question is most likely an instance of mass hysteria, not related to eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia nervosa. Mass hysteria involves a group experiencing collective psychological symptoms, unlike the individual and persistent issues with food intake and body image seen in eating disorders.

Step-by-step explanation:

The scenario described in the question suggests a collective psychological behavior called mass hysteria, where there is a rapid spread of symptoms of illness among a group, primarily triggered by psychological factors. This incident at the high school, where girls began to "spin wildly" after eating frozen yogurt, does not align with the symptoms of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, which involve persistent issues with food intake and body image.

Anorexia nervosa is characterized by extremely limited food consumption, excessive weight loss, and a distorted body image, where individuals perceive themselves as overweight despite being underweight. Bulimia nervosa involves episodes of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors like vomiting or excessive exercise. Neither of these disorders is associated with the sudden compulsion to display specific physical behaviors like spinning, as described in the news story.

The final answer is that this episode can most likely be considered as an instance of mass hysteria, a response where a group of people exhibit similar hysterical symptoms following exposure to a common stimulus or belief. Mass hysteria is often seen in close-knit groups and could have psychological or environmental triggers, neither related to the long-term personal behaviors observed in anorexia or bulimia nervosa.