The Skeptics Society & Skeptic magazine

Havana Syndrome Hysteria and the Great Wild Goose Chase
Classified documents reveal skepticism of foreign actors & bolster the role of psychogenic illness

by Robert Bartholomew

The Biden administration’s probe into the origins of “Havana Syndrome” has been left reeling after the unexpected departure of the woman leading the investigation after serving in her role for just six months. Havana Syndrome was first reported in Havana, Cuba in late 2016. Over the next two years dozens of American and Canadian diplomats and their families reported complaints ranging from headaches, dizziness, nausea, and fatigue, to confusion, difficulty concentrating, insomnia, and ear pain. While it continues to be widely reported that many of the victims have been diagnosed with brain damage and hearing loss, based on the studies that have been conducted to date, there is no definitive evidence to support such claims — or that attacks took place.¹ On September 22^nd the State Department announced that Pamela Spratlen was stepping down after a teleconference with victims who were left incensed when she refused to rule out the possibility that the symptoms were caused by mass psychogenic illness. The question was prompted by media reports that a yet to be released FBI investigation concluded that the diplomats were the victims of mass suggestion.²

The Hysteria Over Hysteria

The hostile reaction to the possibility that psychogenic illness may play a role highlights the stigma that surrounds this condition, which is widely misunderstood by the public and among many in the scientific community. Within hours of Pamela Spratlen’s resignation, an ex-CIA officer who claims to have been the victim of a 2017 “attack” in Moscow, Marc Polymeropoulos, said that Spratlen’s failure to rule out “mass hysteria” was “automatically disqualifying” as the task force leader and “insulting to victims.”³ One of the diplomats on the call complained that Spratlen was “very clearly saying that she has not ruled out that we’re crazy.”⁴

Such misconceptions are common and reflect widespread ignorance on the subject. Mass psychogenic illness is not a mental disorder; it is a collective stress response that evokes real symptoms. It is a well-documented condition that involves the converting of psychological stress into symptoms that have no organic basis. It is not a hypothetical concept; it is an established condition in the fields of psychiatry and medicine. Several diplomats who exhibited symptoms of “Havana Syndrome” only to be told later that they were likely suffering from stress, have criticized the government for not taking their claims seriously. They point out that the Biden administration has stopped referring to what happened as “attacks,” but rather “unexplained health incidents” or UHIs.⁵

In recent months there has been a flurry of alarming news headlines about “directed energy attacks” on American officials in over a dozen countries involving nearly 200 people.⁶ It is often implied that the sheer number of reports is confirmation that something nefarious must be afoot. What is rarely mentioned is the context of the outbreak: the global explosion in cases coincides with a State Department directive to U.S. diplomats and intelligence officers to be on alert for “anomalous health incidents” (AHIs) that may or may not be accompanied by strange sounds. […]

Read the full article (free)