The Unidentified Aerial Phenomena between Sociocultural Perception and the Mass Psychogenic Illness

Abstract Background: The case history of what is known as mass psychogenic illness (MPI) is well-documented throughout history, serving as an explanatory framework for collective psychosomatic events. But the construct neither holds the status of a nosographic category nor is it clearly defined empirically or theoretically beyond its general manifestations. There remains an endemic lack of robust empirical and epidemiological studies, as well as a persistent resistance within psychomedical contexts to delineate and accept its explanatory scope. Methods: In this review, we intended to establish the current state of MPI and to show its validity as an explanatory element for certain specific manifestations of sociocultural events, such as sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) and their various forms of expression. Results: The intention is not to suggest that the entire UAP phenomenon can be explained through MPI, but rather to highlight how it may contribute to understanding part of it, as well as the need to promote a paradigm shift in medical-psychiatric contexts that, without abandoning organicism, embraces more open and interactive diagnostic frameworks. Conclusion: This is a pressing need today, increasingly dominated by uncontrollable flows and channels of information, where it is ever more difficult to discern reality from fiction, with the inevitable impact this has on the field of mental health.