academic.oup.com
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.
Another choice quote
patients often reported to be unable to perform unpleasant tasks because of their symptoms resulting in release from obligations at school and home, while symptoms temporarily completely disappear while conducting favourite activities.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
Rather than these teens being denied a Tourette's diagnosis, it seems more likely to me that the practical definition of Tourette's (or "Tourette's like [blah blah blah]", whatever makes them feel satisfied that they've been "heard" and can brag to their online friends about an official diagnosis) will just expand to include people like them. Anything else would run the severe risk of being attacked by a mob of the usual advocates of "disability rights", "social justice", etc.
Conversely, with the general understanding evolving to be that most tics are semi-conscious/chosen, we can expect those with genuinely involuntarily but controversial tics such as those involving repeating racial slurs, etc. to become more stigmatized (in the name of rights for the "disabled", that is other people half-pantomiming their actual illness), similarly to how the "Mental illness isn't an excuse for racism!" canard evolved (after you had thousands of people (primarily self-diagnosed) allegedly possessing X mental illness around to say "Well I also have [X] and it's never caused me to say [non-PC thing]!").
On the other hand, I think the line between performance and authenticity has always been a lot blurrier than many would like to believe. Perhaps the pseudonymous and polyonymous nature of the Internet has just made this a more practically implementable tendency, increasing its behavioral potency. As with most fads, this particular manifestation of it will probably wax and wane though, same as all fashion (and isn't all fashion inherently performance desperately grasping for authenticity?). (I for one am waiting for wheelchairs, colostomy bags, etc. to become in many cases voluntary fashion accessories.)
Are you willing to make a concrete testable prediction of this, like say putting a probability on a particular modification to the definition in a given future DSM revision?
What part of his comment implies there will be some sort of DSM revision? What are you even disagreeing with?
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link