State Terrorism Masquerading as Psychogenic Illness

Abstract

The self-fulfilling prophecy is, in the beginning, a false definition of the situation evoking a new behavior which makes the originally false conception come true.-Thomas K. Merton [1] There are several cases where a foreign government was initially blamed for the appearance of mysterious symptoms similar to those in Havana, that after careful examination, were found to have been psychogenic in nature. In this chapter, we present examples of outbreaks that were purportedly launched by a hostile foreign power, with whom there had been longstanding political tension. Like the Cuban episode, each of our cases appeared amid rumors and media publicity that gave credence to the imaginary attack. Many of these episodes included neurological symptoms. It is noteworthy that the health complaints in Cuba did not appear suddenly , but gradually over months. They emerged in a group of people who knew they were being watched every minute of the day and night. They were in a hostile foreign country, and the stress from being constantly surveilled was relentless. The West Bank is a piece of land that separates the neighboring countries of Israel and Jordan. It is one of the most hotly disputed territories in the world. The region was taken over by Israel after the June 1967 Arab-Israeli War in order to create a buffer zone between the two countries. Prior to this time, the area was overseen by Jordan. Since the war, the many Palestinians who live there refer to it as an occupied territory. The issue is an emotional one for many Palestinians who believe that their land has been unjustly taken from them. It has also been the site of many protests over the years and fierce anti-Israeli sentiments. It was within this tense atmosphere of suspicion and distrust that a strange illness broke out on the morning of March 21, 1983, at an all-girls' school in the West Bank town of Arrabah. A 17-year-old