ArticleBrain : a journal of neurology2022
Stop that! It's not Tourette's but a new type of mass sociogenic illness.
Article in Brain : a journal of neurology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 108 citations in OpenAlex.
- Scrolling through adolescence: a systematic review of the impact of TikTok on adolescent mental health.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Stereotypes about tourette syndrome and associations with social media use: results from a large-scale german population survey.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Call for action: misinformation about Tourette syndrome from major media network.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Article
- Long-Term Follow-Up of Patients with Mass Social Media-Induced Illness Presenting with Functional Tic-like Behaviors.Movement disorders clinical practice · 2026Article
- Insufficient Quality of Mental Health Information on German-Speaking TikTok: A Content Analysis.Clinical psychology in Europe · 2026Article
- Psychiatry as Mind-shaping.Erkenntnis · 2026Article
- Exploring Empowerment in Online Support Communities for People Living With Tic Disorders and Tourette Syndrome: Qualitative Survey Study of User Experiences.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Health Care Content and Engagement in Chronic Illness Instagram Posts: Content Analysis.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Neurodevelopmental Tics with Co-Morbid Functional Tic-like Behaviors: Diagnostic Challenges of a Complex Tourette Syndrome Phenotype.Brain sciences · 2025Article
- Role of social media in the presentation of disorders of gut-brain interaction: Review and recommendations.Journal of gastroenterology and hepatology · 2024Review
- Testing the specificity of phenomenological criteria for functional tic-like behaviours in youth with Tourette syndrome.European journal of neurology · 2024Article
- Functional Tic-like Behaviors: From the COVID-19 Pandemic to the Post-Pandemic Era.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- What are the Key Phenomenological Clues to Diagnose Functional Tic-Like Behaviors in the Pandemic Era?Movement disorders clinical practice · 2024Article
- Premonitory Urge in Patients with Tics and Functional Tic-like Behaviors.Movement disorders clinical practice · 2024Article
- Functional Tic-Like Behaviors: A Common Comorbidity in Patients with Tourette Syndrome.Movement disorders clinical practice · 2024Article
- Time is ticking for TikTok tics: A retrospective follow-up study in the post-COVID-19 isolation era.Brain and behavior · 2024Article
- What distinguishes patients with mass social media-induced illness presenting with Tourette-like behavior from those with Tourette syndrome? Results of a prospective cohort study.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2024Article
- Prospective follow-up study of youth and adults with onset of functional tic-like behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic.European journal of neurology · 2024Article
- An investigation into mothers' experiences of their children's functional tic-like behaviour and tic attacks.PloS one · 2024Article
- Healthcare employment as a risk factor for functional neurological disorder: A case-control study.European journal of neurology · 2024Article
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4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
We report the first outbreak of a new type of mass sociogenic illness that in contrast to all previously reported episodes is spread solely via social media. Accordingly, we suggest the more specific term 'mass social media-induced illness'. In Germany, the current outbreak of mass social media-induced illness is initiated by a 'virtual' index case, who is the second most successful YouTube creator in Germany and enjoys enormous popularity among young people. Affected teenagers present with similar or identical functional 'Tourette-like' behaviours, which can be clearly differentiated from tics in Tourette syndrome. Functional 'Tourette-like' symptoms can be regarded as the 'modern' form of the well-known motor variant of mass sociogenic illness. Moreover, they can be viewed as the 21st century expression of a culture-bound stress reaction of our post-modern society emphasizing the uniqueness of individuals and valuing their alleged exceptionality, thus promoting attention-seeking behaviours and aggravating the permanent identity crisis of modern man. We wish to raise awareness of the current global Tourette-like mass social media-induced illness outbreak. A large number of young people across different countries are affected, with considerable impact on health care systems and society as a whole, since spread via social media is no longer restricted to specific locations such as local communities or school environments spread via social media is no longer restricted to specific locations such as schools or towns.
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