Two Le Roy High School students, with their mothers, appeared on NBC's "Today Show" on Tuesday morning to talk about the tic symptoms they've been experiencing and the response to the issue from state health officials.
The segment opened with a feature report on the two girls and what's been going on at Le Roy HS, followed by an interview with Ann Curry.
Thera Sanchez and Katie Krautworst, with their respective mothers Melissa Philips and Beth Miller, were on the set with Curry, along with Dr. Gail Saltz, a mental health specialist.
Curry opened by asking Thera if the situation made her angry, and she said it did, "and frustrated."
Curry asked Philips, Thera's mother, "When the state says there's no environmental factors, that there's no infectious disease, as a mom, what are you thinking?"
"Where's the proof? Where's the data? Where's the testing? When has this been done?" Philips asked.
"You've not been shown any data?" Curry asked.
"No, nothing."
Miller said she's requested the data, "so we can find a cure for our daughters."
Curry: "Why do you disbelieve what the state is telling you, that this has to be something else?"
"Nothing's been done collectively for our daughters," Philips said. "Everything's been done individually. The testing they say they've had, they have not had. The facts they're stating are just untrue."
Thera said the only thing she's been told is that the tics are stress induced.
Katie said, "They told us that it was traumatic, but I don't think any of us had that traumatic of a life before and that it would randomly happen."
When Curry turned to Saltz, the doctor said that having just met the young women, she could not make a diagnosis, however, since environmental factors have been ruled out and infectious disease has been ruled out, that leaves psychological factors.
Saltz said it could be conversion disorder, which is something psychosomatic.
"It’s important for me to say that’s not fake," Saltz said. "They're not faking it. They’re real symptoms that are not under their control, that they’re really experiencing. They’re psychologically driven and they need a psychiatric or psychological treatment and treatment does work."
Curry said, "but it's 12 girls," and Saltz started to say, "It can ..." but Curry cut her off and asked Thera what she wanted out of appearing on the Today Show.
"I want an answer and I want a straight answer," Thera said. "I’ve had psychological treatment. They say this is stress induced. (unintelligible) my psychological treatment, all that does is stress me out more and then I get worse."
I caught the segment on the
I caught the segment on the Today Show this morning. I believe the doctor's diagnosis that it is stress related is correct. The key was when Katie mentioned at the end that the symptoms worsen after psycho analyse treatment that put her under additonal stress.
If I was a parent of any ONE
If I was a parent of any ONE of these girls, I'd get all of them together in one place, and try to figure out what they all have in COMMON - same classroom, same trip, same dance - - SOMEWHERE where all 12 of them MIGHT have been, either all at the same time, or separately - - there's GOT to be a common denominator somewhere, to narrow down WHERE they might have contracted this awful condition. I don't believe it's just stress. EVERY student in EVERY school has stress of some kind or other - why did this happpen only in Leroy, and only to THESE girls (and no boys) ???? Something is fishy about all this.
This may have nothing to do
This may have nothing to do with anything but I thought I would throw it out anyway, in the mid 1970's a group of LeRoy High Football players and Soccer Players (I played soccer at the time)who all practiced at the Schools Fields experienced sores that wouldn't heal. It took a while to figure that out but it was determined that the fields we were playing on were contaminated with sewage. Once it was identified and we were medicated the sores finally healed up. The fields where we got our sores that wouldn't heal is the same place they built the new High School. I wonder what else is in that ground. Has any one conducted soil testing of the school grounds recently?
I don't believe for one
I don't believe for one second that this is stressed related. Statistically for 12 girls to have the same problem from a small town like Leroy the number as to be off the charts. I believe the truth is the Dr.'s have no clue as to what is causing this and they use conversion disorder as a excuse. I'm not saying that conversion disorder is not real but in this case no way. Something external caused this to these girls.
Don, it's "sores." The
Don, it's "sores."
The doctors all agree it's not physical in nature, meaning it's all in their head. "Monkey see, monkey do."
Quote from a news article on thedailynewsonline:
"Genetics? I highly doubt it, especially when this cluster is exclusive to girls.
That not only is odd but highly unlikely. Boys get tics. Rare when a girl has it and rarer still when 12, 13 in the same school exhibit these symptoms."
Watch a video of kids who really have Tourette syndrome and tell me those girls aren't just acting silly. Actual tics or Tourette's is relentless. It's an isolated thing and does not involve 12 or 13 kids, all of them the same sex BTW.
Someone on the thedailynewsonline places bets on all of the girls having been given the Gardasil vaccine for HPV. I couldn't help but point out that every one of those girls also has had a cold, a scraped knee and strep throat. Over 40 million Gardasil vaccines have been administered and the incidents of adverse reactions is no more or no less than just about any other routine vaccine.
Jack, the Dr's know exactly what's causing this but how do you tell panicked parents that the problem is psychological, not environmental. Parents don't want to hear that. They want something or someone to blame so that they can sue them.
As soon as the attention queens tire of the drama, the symptoms will vanish. Irene, I couldn't disagree more with your idea. Splitting them up so that they can't feed off of each others psychosis is a much better idea than putting them all together. *eyeroll*
Well I know my daughter who
Well I know my daughter who is 16 and attends LHS and does not suffer from tics. So, who knows what it really is? As far as doctors knowing what it is; maybe they do or maybe they do not. Medical science is not all conclusive. Studying medicine is not by any means an exact art, it is a guessing game in many ways. Meaning doctors study common factors and try to come up with a definition and/or a solution. Doug, it is like you guessing that these girls are faking it because, they are attention seeking drama queens. I know one of the girls and let me tell you, she is no attention seeking drama queen. BTW, not all the girls know each other. Beside let me see your degree from whatever college you attended for medical science. Paging DR Yeoman!
Don, I remember hearing about that. Since, no one was shown a environmental or infecteous disease survey report. How can we rule out anything. If, the NYSHD findings are correct have them show the results and who conducted the testing. Simple solution! I am not too concern myself but, I have to keep it in the back of my mind because, I have three teenagers in LHS.
Thanks John for a little
Thanks John for a little intelligence in the conversation. Doug, better thank God it's not your girl being attacked by people who obviously have no clue. Did you not see that the EKGs done while they were sleeping showed this activity happening even then?
My daughter is an LHS student but has fortunately not gotten sick. She was raised with compassion and the ability to show kindness to other human beings and knows three of these girls well and cares deeply about what happens to them. You could take a page from her book.
All we ask is answers. We want to see the environmental testing the school claims was done and according to the teacher's FOIA request, was not done. Pretty simple.
I echoed what the doctors
I echoed what the doctors stated. I never made any medical claim as to fact. I'm pretty sure I expressed my opinion and didn't give a diagnosis backed by a PhD. My opinion is that it's a manifestation that's psychological in nature. Does that satisfy you, John and Judith?
I don't mean to sound cold or callous but I'm pretty sure that if the causes were environmental/organic, something would've been found. How many girls attend that school and how many of them are showing signs of the tic disorder. Just from a logical viewpoint, if it was environmental, more students would be affected, INCLUDING BOYS.
Good people who come from good backgrounds aren't immune from suggestive influences, especially when they're young people whose brains haven't finished developing. Especially the part of the brain devoted to reasoning.
As John and Judith astutely pointed out, I don't have a PhD but I "can" read and comprehend what I read.
"It now appears the brain continues to change into the early 20's with the frontal lobes, responsible for reasoning and problem solving, developing last. In calm situations, teenagers can rationalize almost as well as adults. But stress can hijack what Ron Dahl, a pediatrician and child psychiatric researcher at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center calls "hot cognition" and decision-making."
http://www.edinformatics.com/news/teenage_brains.htm
"REASONING." Stress hijacks that reasoning ability. What did the girl in the interview say? She stated that stress makes her tics worse. I rest my uneducated case.
Doug, you merely echoed what
Doug, you merely echoed what the doctors said? I didn't hear any doctor say that they were just being silly or that as soon as the attention queens tire of the drama, the symptoms would vanish. You are the only one who said that. You don't mean to sound cold and callous? It sure sounds like that to me.
Beth, if you can't
Beth, if you can't differentiate between quotes (sentences in parenthesis) and sentences that reflect my opinions, that's probably why you're confused. Your inability to differentiate between the two is beyond my control. On top of me saying that I echoed what the doctors said, which I did by quoting, I also said I offered my opinion. Did you miss that part or are you just being argumentative for the sake of disagreeing?
Why are some people so
Why are some people so offended by this unfortunate series of events that they are lashing out? Did someone with a tic hurt you?
Who are you referring to so
Who are you referring to so that they can reply? Who is lashing out, and give an example of what you think "lashing out" is.
From what I have read about
From what I have read about Tourette's , it is diagnosed by eliminating other possibilities. Being neurological in nature, it is difficult to diagnose and there is little explanation as to why it occurs. Not all the girls have even been given that diagnosis or any diagnosis at all. Sorry their symptoms don't align with the videos you've viewed Doug but in fact there are too few answers and the conjecture only belittles what they must be feeling and frustrates the rest of us. And the whole "psychological" BS is an absolute cop-out. It screams to me the doctors do not know what it is, why it is, how to treat it or how to stop it. So we blame it on the victims themselves. They must be under stress, or mimicking their peers or they have psychological issues. Let's protect their rights under the guise of HIPPA but tell the world that the issue is psychological in nature and somehow their fault. Absolute garbage.
And perhaps you were trying to offer some sort of twisted humor Doug but to call these young women "Drama Queens" goes far beyond cold and callous. This would be a quote: "As soon as the attention queens tire of the drama, the symptoms will vanish. Irene, I couldn't disagree more with your idea. Splitting them up so that they can't feed off of each others psychosis is a much better idea than putting them all together. *eyeroll"
This has been a life-altering situation for these girls. The senior year for some of them and all they want to do is go to school and they can't. And you call them drama queens. Pretty cold, bordering on evil in my book.
If anyone is interested in
If anyone is interested in forming a support group for parents and children of LeRoy, High School, please let me know. I attended and addressed several items at the meeting. Afterward, I spoke privately with Dr. Young. The school has no intentions of implementing an action plan because they are not responsible. This is not environmental, not related to gardasil, the cases are not geografically related, it is not related to drugs, street or synthetic. These girls are not "all" friends with each other, so they are not a group or a click. Why are only girls are affected? Why no other schools in the area? There are NO commonalities between these girls, i.e. sports, clubs, etc. Dr. Young advised me that they have a diagnosis, and they have a cause, but because of HIPPA they cannot release any of this., I understand this. Dr. Young advised me that there is NOTHING that I as a parent can do to prevent my daughter from developing this, however, he assured me that as we approach the spring months, that the symptoms would dissipate. My conclusion was that it must be PANDAS as strep is so many times undetected, yet prevalent amongst large groups of people.
I have been in contact with the district office and the school twice since this meeting and what they DID tell me is that A) not all 12 girls have been diagnosed with the same diagnosis, (this is odd) and that it is NOT PANDAS. and NOT DRUGS. these parents and students will not receive assistance or answers from the school because the school believes the cause is not related to school, therefore they will not assume responsibility. If this happend to these 12 girls during summer vacation, I do not believe that the "school" would have been targeted as the cause, however, perhaps the town or village would have been called upon to rule out environmental factors. First and foremost, the group of girls needs to be seen by ONE neurologist so that things that have not been investigated can be addressed. Each family needs to be on the same page, but they need the support and direction of others. So many concerns and unanswered questions, let's help, let's not wait for someone else to be a victim.
"I don't mean to sound cold
"I don't mean to sound cold or callous but I'm pretty sure that if the causes were environmental/organic, something would've been found.”
That is the point Doug; nothing has been shown in writing. If, there is truly nothing to this, then why be so secretive? NYSHD have not shown parents the results of their findings. The board meeting with NYSHD at LHS, claim nothing was found involving the environment or infectious disease but, they know what it is. They claim privacy laws keep them from disclosing the diagnoses but, that is BS. They can inform the public as long as names are not given.
"Just from a logical viewpoint, if it was environmental, more students would be affected, INCLUDING BOYS."
That is another point Doug, these girls were not all diagnosed at the same time. It did not just start at 12, it started with one and increase in numbers over time. Boys and girls react to things differently. One last thing I like to point out. Show me a teenager who does not suffer from stress! Yes, there is some much out there that can cause stress. Once again doctors guessing the cause. Heck, Doug remember when doctors actually took the time to look you over and diagnose your ailment. Now it is 10-15 minutes and you are done. Next!
A doctor who has treated 11
A doctor who has treated 11 of the 12 girls in Le Roy who have been suffering from tic symptons appeared on NBC's Today's Show on Wednesday morning and shared their diagnosis.
It's "conversion disorder," or "mass hysteria," he said.
Beth, Judith and John, I won't say it, but I do stand vindicated.
I know for a fact that he has
I know for a fact that he has not treated anywhere near to 11 of the 12 so I guess when you start out with a flat out lie, I have a hard time with the rest of his "diagnosis."
And what happened to HIPAA?
And what happened to HIPAA? The officials at the school meeting couldn't tell anyone a diagnosis because that would be in violation of HIPAA but a doctor who has supposedly treated 11 of the 12 girls can go on the Today Show and give a diagnosis?
all parties involved are full
all parties involved are full of malarky
You might think you are
You might think you are vindicated but, research the facts of “conversion disorder," or "mass hysteria."
Like it states, some doctors think it’s just in the patient's head and others believe it’s an actual conditions. Also, contrary to your belief, they are not faking it. What they all agree on is that, no one can really say what it is.
My opinion was entirely
My opinion was entirely vindicated, John. The good doctor's diagnosis is exactly what my opinion called it originally. A few days ago I said it sounded like a classic case of mass hysteria, and I was correct in my assumption.
What the doctors agree on is that they know exactly what it is. It's "conversion disorder." I'm not sure where you're confused but that "Is" an actual disorder, psychological in nature and doctors know exactly what it is.
Too many contradictions here,
Too many contradictions here, one doctor (whom hates people who hide behind a beuracracy) says he cant say due to HIPPA. But then this OTHER doctor then completely disregards HIPPA and discloses all (supposedly).
I have been watching all this back and forth and I think it highly unlikely 12 random girls who dont know each other come down with these symptoms, But the school and officals SWEAR its not enviromental or communicable, school claims no responsibility but the only thing they ALL have in common is attending Leroy High. Things that make you go Hmmmmmmm.