Uttarakhand: Students shout, scream, bang their heads as `mass hysteria` grips school

In a shocking incident that appears to be a case of mass hysteria among students of a government school in Uttarakhand's Bageshwar is causing concern among the parents as well as the authorities.

As per reports and videos that are going rounds on the internet, a number of students, mostly girls, can be seen screaming and rolling on the ground in a fit of hysteria, causing panic among the teachers.

Before that, students afflicted by hysteria had reportedly been indulging in such gestures during the previous two days.

A team of administration and doctors visited a government school in the Bageshwar district of Uttarakhand, a day after a couple of female students were spotted shouting, crying, and behaving abnormally. The incident has left the education department in a tizzy.

Vimla Devi, head teacher of the junior high school told that the 'abnormal' activity among students was first reported this Tuesday when a few girl students and a male student behaved in a typical manner.

"They were crying, shouting, shivering, and even trying to bang heads for no reason. We called parents, they summoned a local priest and this is how the situation came under control" told teacher Vimla Devi. She said the incident repeated again on Thursday.

Incidents of mass hysteria have previously been reported in government schools in neighbouring districts such as Almora, Pithoragarh, and Chamoli.

For the unversed, mass hysteria refers to an outbreak of unusual and uncharacteristic behaviors, thoughts and feelings, or health symptoms shared among a group of people.

Experts largely consider mass hysteria a type of conversion disorder, or mental health condition that involves physical symptoms prompted by emotional or mental tension.

There is no official treatment for mass psychogenic illness.