The Sleeping Beauties

Suzanne O’Sullivan

PAN MACMILLAN

In Sweden, hundreds of refugee children have fallen into coma-like states and not woken up, sometimes for years. US diplomats in Cuba, experiencing headaches and dizziness, believe they are victims of a terrifying sonic weapon. However, neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan postulates that these and other mystery illnesses are ‘mass psychogenic illnesses’, once called ‘mass hysteria’. Behind these disorders, she argues, are psychological and social causes that need to be addressed.

M.Egan