Reframing vaccine safety: recognizing mass psychogenic illness as an adverse event following immunization

Abstract Diagnoses of mass psychogenic illness (MPI) following vaccination usually occur after the failure of all efforts to find a plausible biological mechanism for the collective reaction to the vaccine in question. They are experienced as waste-basket diagnoses that leave sufferers feeling dissatisfied and neglected, without appropriate treatment or sympathy and without a “real” diagnosis. In this article, we examine reports of MPI following vaccination, focusing on vaccination programs against human papillomavirus (HPV), which usually target adolescent and preadolescent girls, as well as social science research that tries to explain the social factors involved. In particular, we interrogate social science research that aligns with participants’ feelings that they are being dismissed because MPIs are not perceived to be real illnesses. Our analysis of the scholarly literature finds that relying on debunking strategies contributes to limitations in social science responses to instances of MPI following vaccination. Recognizing MPI reactions as plausible adverse reactions to vaccination, we argue, could lead to successful treatments and changes to vaccination programs, both of which could bolster trust in vaccination, as long as the diagnosis is not used to dismiss or diminish psychogenic adverse reactions. As part of this process, the informational and communicative context is crucial to addressing vaccinee suffering and improving public trust.