Health · Mental Health · 2 days ago
Authors argue mass psychogenic illness remains a plausible explanation for Havana reports
People linked to the so-called Havana Syndrome reported a range of health problems.
The authors say the symptoms were real but argue they may have had different causes, including stress or other illnesses.
They say reports of brain damage were not proven by the studies they discuss.
U.S. intelligence agencies judged it highly unlikely that a foreign adversary caused the symptoms.
A Psychology Today article argues that psychogenic illness, sometimes called mass hysteria, remains a plausible explanation for some reports of Havana Syndrome.
The article responds to skepticism expressed by former intelligence officer and neuroscientist Dr. Eric Haseltine, who wrote that mass hysteria does not explain much of the data and remains unproven.
The authors say they have not claimed that all or most Anomalous Health Incidents share one cause, or that affected people are feigning illness.
The article says U.S. intelligence assessments in 2023 and 2025 judged it highly unlikely that a foreign adversary was responsible for the reported symptoms.
It disputes claims of brain damage and hearing loss, arguing that reported brain anomalies were minor and that the hearing-loss reports were later found to be untrue.
- Who
- Dr. Eric Haseltine; neurologist Robert Baloh and the article's unnamed co-author; people who reported Anomalous Health Incidents.
- What
- A dispute over whether psychogenic illness can explain some reports of Havana Syndrome.
- When
- The reports began in 2015; the article was published on October 9, 2026.
- Where
- Havana, Cuba, where U.S. diplomats and intelligence officers first reported symptoms.
- Why
- The parties disagree over how to interpret the evidence and whether psychogenic illness is a plausible explanation.
Dr. Eric Haseltine
The Psychology Today article's authors
Psychogenic illness as an explanation
Dr. Eric Haseltine
Haseltine argues that mass hysteria does not explain much of the data from studies of people affected and remains an unproven hypothesis.
The Psychology Today article's authors
The authors say psychogenic illness remains a plausible explanation, while stressing that symptoms are real and that they have not argued that all or most cases share one cause.
Evidence of physical injury
Dr. Eric Haseltine
Haseltine points to medical studies reporting objective clinical findings, including vestibular and oculomotor abnormalities.
The Psychology Today article's authors
The authors argue that claims of brain damage and hearing loss were not demonstrated; they say brain anomalies in one study were relatively minor and could reflect individual variation.
Expert panels and assessments
Dr. Eric Haseltine
Haseltine cites two expert panels as suggesting microwave radiation as a likely cause.
The Psychology Today article's authors
The authors say the panels had flaws and that their findings were rejected in 2023 and 2025 by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which assessed foreign-adversary involvement as highly unlikely.
mass hysteria… does not explain much of the data from studies of victims, and remains an unproven hypothesis.
Several medical studies reported objective clinical findings, including vestibular and oculomotor abnormalities.
highly unlikely
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Article publication date
- October 9, 2026
- First reported location and year
- Havana, Cuba, in 2015
- U.S. intelligence assessment years
- 2023 and 2025
- Study cited on brain anomalies
- A 2019 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association
- People surveyed in a symptom study
- 1,000 people in a 2014 study
Sources
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