The Soap Opera Disease

The Portuguese soap opera "Morangos com Açúcar" is super popular among Portuguese teens. In 2006, the show featured a character suffering from a rare disorder. And thennnnnnn kids at dozens of high schools around the country began suffering from the same symptoms as the character on the show. In all, 300 students from 14 schools across the country reported rashes, difficulty breathing and dizziness, though no cause for the symptoms could be found. The "outbreak" was eventually labeled mass hysteria.