Day 18 – The madness got to you too – things that make people behave abnormally

Tonight's Squatchable Halloween Countdown: Day 18 – The madness got to you too – things that make people behave abnormally Movie: The Shining – (Rated R) This is a classic about one man’s descent into madness at an isolated hotel. Sometimes the scariest thing people can imagine is losing control of themselves physically or mentally. The idea that your mind can take control is terrifying. Unfortunately, if you go back 100 years or more, there were more than hereditary things that caused abnormal behavior. Food, cultural, and extreme environmental stressors that most of us will never experience in these modern times would strike people. Tonight we will explore some things that have been known to cause people to suffer bouts of abnormal behavior in the past: When someone gets sick in a village, it’s expected that it will spread throughout the village. What if that illness is uncontrollable dancing? Scientists aren’t sure if it was ergotism, a fungus infection from grains, or mass hysteria. What we do know is that for some reason people in Strasbourg in 1518 danced for 4-6 days straight, sometimes until death: Kuru doesn’t make you have weird thoughts but it does make you lose control of your emotions, earning it the nickname “The Laughing Death”. What is Kuru? It is the local name for what is essentially a human version of mad cow disease and you get it through cannibalism: When settlers moved westward, they left close-knit families in exchange for complete loneliness. Medical help was far away so death was common. The trauma these people experienced led to deep depression and mental breakdown for some and it was called Prairie Madness. These stories give a glimpse into what these settlers experienced that led to Prairie Madnees: These days mental health awareness is quite high and people understand that there are definitely hereditary factors involved but these things here can affect anyone. Nobody is immune to mass hysteria, mind altering infections, or the effects of isolated or extreme environments. That is what makes these all terrifying. Fortunately, science and technology has made great strides and these particular issues aren't common anymore. We have food safety standards, we know better than to eat each other, and even in the most remote locations another human voice is a satellite phone call away. And for that I am eternally grateful. Good night!