start putting it together and hearing the stories, it was easier to put a picture together of mass psychogenic illness. >> reporter: it's called mass hysteria, exceedingly rare psychological phenomenon where symptoms spread throughout a close community. usually among young women. documented cases stretch back for centuries. and we found three cases in the u.s. over the past 15 years. all in high school girls. >> reporter: they do get worse when you're together? >> yes. >> reporter: but the diagnosis of mass hysteria has enraged some of the parents here who feel other possible causes have not been adequately investigated. especially toxins in the environment. enter erin brockovich. >> we don't believe all the environmental testing that should have been done, in fact, has been done. >> reporter: brockovich's environmental crusading made her famous after she was portrayed by julia roberts for exposing a massive environmental cover-up in california. so, when she got involved and pointed out there had been a major toxic spill in le roy, parents took notice. for those who believe that these kids may

report said that medical professionals are more likely to dismiss women's pain reports as emotional, psychogenic, or hysterical, quote, and therefore not real, leading to more frequent mental health diagnosis. so i ask you, is their pain real or is it just in her head? >> the pain is always real. but i think the problem is it's not recognized sufficiently that any emotional phenomenon can actually bring on pain. if you would like a physiologic plans, that simple too. the simple reduction of blood flow, which can easily be accomplished by the brain to vital spinal nerves, or any spinal nerve, but usually it's more in certain areas, the low back, for example, or the neck or shoulders, is easily done. and i think that it's important to recognize that emotions can stimulate physiologic change. >> mr. chairman, may i also address that? >> dr. maixner, sure. >> yes. i agree totally with what was just said. i think it's very important that we don't disassociate mind-body when we talk about chronic pain conditions and put chronic pain conditions into strictly an in their head psychological component. it

this started with the dent neurological school in buffalo, they believe strongly it is a mass psychogenicllness. almost infectious. they see another person. you know what would go for that? child lauren i interviewed, she walked into a store and one of the other kids was having ticks which is involuntary movement, she started having them. when that happens you wonder about it being psychiatric. we also spoke to dr. mcve, one of the original doctors that treated i think 14 of these kids. bill: let's listen to that now. >> usually with any kind of conversion disorder or mass psychogenic illness it will get better in time. it takes time for things to heel. the reason it has gone on so long we believe because there is so much media attention to it. >> i think the media attention driven the story and not in positive way. here on fox news we're trying to investigate this and not be inflammatory. a lot of other media coverage inflailed this and the kids are getting worse. when they get a doctor that gets involved and does hands on like doctor trifelti they get better. bill: environmental has bee

jennifer mcvige/ dent institute: "usually with any pind of conversion order mass psychogenic illnesses time for things o heal, the reason why this has gone because there's been so much - mmdia attention to it" it"tte chool was tested... but nothing turned up... that explains what's causing the tics.environmentalists are now ttsting soil samples nearby... to see if the illness could e related to a chemical spill from a 1970's train wreck. a florida judge gives an unusual order... to a man charged with domestic violence. instead of more jail time oo community service... he sentences the man to a little áqualityá time with his wife. :41 "he's gonna get flowers, and then he's gonna go home, pick up his wife, get dressed, take her to red lobster, and then after they go to red lobster, bowling."red lobster, they're gonna go bowling." bowling."that's right... the judge orders the man to treat his wife to a night out... with flowers, dinner and bowling.heealso orders them to get counseling.the two staated fighting after the husband &pforgot to wish his wife a happy birthday... and things esc

you said that medical professionals are more likely to dismiss women's pain reports as emotional, psychogenic, hysterical or oversensitive quote and therefore not real, leading to more frequent mental health diagnoses. so i ask you, is the pain real or is it just in her head? >> the pain is always real but i think the problem is it's not recognize sufficiently that emotional phenomenon can actually bring on pain. if you would like a physiologic explanation, that is simple too. the simple reduction of blood flow which can easily be accomplished by the brain to vital spinal nerves or any spinal nerve for that matter but usually it's more in certain areas, the low back for example or the neck or shoulders, it's easily done and i think it's important to recognize that emotions can stimulate physiologic change. >> mr. chairman may i also address that? >> yes, yes. i agree totally with what was just said. i think it's very important that we don't associate mind and body when we talk about chronic pain conditions and put chronic pain conditions into strictly and in their heads psychological componen

. >> usually with any kind of conversion disorder or mass psychogenic illness it will get better withs time to heal. the reason it has on so long we believe because there has been so much media attention to it. >> jon, as you were saying this is another side to this story. there is physician in new jersey who i also interviewed who feels strongly and may be basing this on things we've been saying on fox news, how do we know this isn't a environmental trigger? how do we know this isn't an infection of some kind, something called, pandis which is neurological inflammation after infection? how do we know it is not that? hair this from dr. triplegi in his own words. he feels they need toe be treated medically and he is treating them and they're getting better. >> the remarkable thing there are anti-inflorida tories probably sitting in your medicine cabinet right now you could use to treat these girls and get them better, better than some of the more involved therapies including psychiatric medication. >> jon, i actually am dub just about his -- dubious about his diagnosis but i think he i