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Concept of benign myalgic encephalomyelitis
British Medical Journal
|January 3, 1970
Summary
Most recorded benign myalgic encephalomyelitis outbreaks may stem from psychosocial factors like mass hysteria or altered community medical perception. Researchers suggest renaming these functional disorders "myalgia nervosa."
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Psychiatry
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Benign myalgic encephalomyelitis (BME) outbreaks have been documented.
- The etiology of BME remains a subject of investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review reported outbreaks of BME.
- To investigate the underlying causes of these epidemics.
- To propose a new classification for similar functional disorders.
Main Methods:
- Review of 15 reported outbreaks of benign myalgic encephalomyelitis.
- In-depth analysis of clinical data from one outbreak.
Main Results:
- Evidence suggests many BME outbreaks are psychosocial phenomena.
- Two primary mechanisms identified: mass hysteria and altered community medical perception.
- One outbreak's data supported these psychosocial explanations.
Conclusions:
- Benign myalgic encephalomyelitis outbreaks may be misinterpretations of functional disorders.
- A new term, "myalgia nervosa," is proposed for future cases with similar clinical presentations.
- This reclassification aims to improve diagnostic clarity for functional disorders.