Anxiety and related disorders: mass psychogenic illness: practice question

A Psychiatry question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Psychiatry · Anxiety and related disorders: mass psychogenic illness

Sample item

In a rural school, a girl faints in assembly. Within an hour twelve more girls report dizziness, headache and breathlessness. Vital signs are normal, no toxin is found, and boys in another block are unaffected. What is the most likely diagnosis?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

D. Mass psychogenic illness

Mass psychogenic illness, once called mass hysteria, spreads through sight and suggestion among a closely knit group, usually adolescent girls. Symptoms are benign, and tests and the environment show no cause. Poisonings affect those exposed in the same area and cause objective signs.

Option by option

  • A. Viral gastroenteritis outbreak

    Viral gastroenteritis causes vomiting and diarrhoea, not faintness spreading within minutes.

  • B. Carbon monoxide poisoning

    Carbon monoxide would affect exposed people of both sexes and give a raised carboxyhaemoglobin.

  • C. Organophosphate poisoning

    Organophosphates cause miosis, salivation and fasciculations, which are not described.

  • D. Mass psychogenic illness (correct)

    Correct. Rapid spread by suggestion in a group, with normal findings, fits.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Psychiatry question

What is the answer to this Psychiatry question?

The best answer is D, Mass psychogenic illness. Mass psychogenic illness, once called mass hysteria, spreads through sight and suggestion among a closely knit group, usually adolescent girls.

Why is "Viral gastroenteritis outbreak" not the answer?

Viral gastroenteritis causes vomiting and diarrhoea, not faintness spreading within minutes.

Why is "Carbon monoxide poisoning" not the answer?

Carbon monoxide would affect exposed people of both sexes and give a raised carboxyhaemoglobin.

Why is "Organophosphate poisoning" not the answer?

Organophosphates cause miosis, salivation and fasciculations, which are not described.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Anxiety and related disorders: mass psychogenic illness in Psychiatry. Symptoms are benign, and tests and the environment show no cause. Poisonings affect those exposed in the same area and cause objective signs.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Anxiety and related disorders: mass psychogenic illness?

Learn each diagnosis by its core features and its first-line treatment. Then use the flashcards and the other Psychiatry questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.