In "The Sleeping Beauties," neurologist Dr. Suzanne O'Sullivan investigates the mysterious realm of culture-bound psychosomatic disorders, encountering conditions like comatose refugee children in Sweden and seizure-prone teenagers in New York. Her exploration takes her from Kazakhstan to Nicaragua and Colombia, where she chronicles the unique afflictions and poignant stories of individuals within these communities. O'Sullivan provides an insightful and empathetic portrayal of these medical curiosities that are becoming more widespread globally, emphasizing their relevance to contemporary health discussions. Her book is not only a journey through the enigmas of psychosomatic illness but also a reflection on the human condition and the intricate ways our environment impacts our well-being.

This author must feel like Sisyphus. Every group interviewed exhibits functional neurological or dissociative disorder. People want a defined physical medical diagnosis and by and large, no one in the book wanted to accept the two disorders that this author found in every case. And, at the end of the day it’s because society is unaccepting of these disorders. Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Really interesting! Not a topic I know much about (or didn't before reading this) and I enjoyed learning. Definitely very accessible - doesn't read like a thick medical textbook. Would recommend if the topic stands out to you!

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book, so the format of it was a little hard to get used to reading. Interesting topic, I learned a lot, but I think creating a narrative to follow the writing could help keep the reader engaged more.

Reading The Sleeping Beauties had me wondering "WHY?" Not only "Why are these illnesses happening?" but also, "Why have I never heard of any of these? Why are we not taught about this stuff?" It was actually quite frustrating. This was a very, very interesting book and I learned so much about some of these mystery/invisible illnesses. Things I feel I should have been taught. The book starts out with the very large group of migrant children in Sweden who went into a coma, but did not have their body shut down. It also talks about different diagnoses such as Havana syndrome, etc.

I was a psychology major for a while in college (and ended up graduating with a psychology minor) so this book was very interesting for me. The author did a great job of presenting her research without making the read dry and boring.

While not exactly what I was looking for, it was somewhat informative. I was also left with more questions, which I guess is not unexpected.

An interesting true story of medical phenomena. It was written in a way that was easy to understand and intersecting. It was refreshing to see a medical professional advocate for patients, especially ones with ailments beyond the normal scope. I like how it was broken down into sections that pertained to each individual case while maintaining a story throughout so it was not choppy.

Health writing and reporting is a compelling area of exploration because it taps into universal concerns and experiences, and in her consideration of functional neurological disorders, Suzanne O'Sullivan helps us see past more widely written about topics like culture bound and psychiatric illness. By tapping into incidents both large and small and spread across the globe, O'Sullivan sheds light on the communicative and problem-solving function of these conditions. When our personal lives or greater social issues make it impossible for us to see a way out of challenging circumstances, whether that's being denied asylum or dealing with the pressures of adolescence, functional neurological conditions fills in the gaps where language fails.

A fascinating look into the world of diagnoses and medical mysteries. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review!

OK, this was not at all what I thought it was going to be, but I liked it.

Based on the description, I was expecting a kind of dramatic look at all the mysterious illnesses that have ever existed — the laughing plague, the sleeping beauties, etc. And we did get those, and a few more. But the stories were so personal and authentic.

Then the book takes a turn. After spending all this time thoughtfully hearing people out about how what they're experiencing is real and not imagined, the book explores that the things those people experienced might have been psychosomatic, or mentally contagious. Which does not mean that they're not real! And that's what was so eye-opening about the book: in a world where people fight all over the internet about what illnesses are real and imagined, O'Sullivan takes the position that they can be all in your head, but still entirely real, physically and mentally. I thought that was so unique and so necessary. I did think that the two-ish chapters dedicated to this went on for a long time. I personally would have organized this book differently. But I really enjoyed everything this book had to offer. Especially the chapter on Havanna Syndrome, ahh!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review!

** Thanks so much to NetGalley, Suzanne O'Sullivan, and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for this ARC **

The Sleeping Beauties: And Other Stories of Mystery Illness by Suzanne O'Sullivan was a fascinating look at psychosomatic/functional disorders through the lens of a physician who treats them. I especially enjoyed the reflection on the role of diagnosis in creating a self-fulfilling process and the ways in which functional disorders form in reinforcing feedback loops. The process reminded me very much of Panic Disorder, in which a person notices a physical experience, identifies it as a precursor of panic, tries to eliminate this physical experience, and in doing so re-ups their anxiety until they are panicking. As a therapist, I think a lot about the role of diagnosis in both pathologizing normal experiences and allowing for access to care. The medicalization of mental health has required formal diagnosis of illness for a person to access services, and I wonder frequently about whether or not the giving of a diagnosis to a person on the more ambiguous side of diagnostic criteria results in harm for our clients. I have been thinking about this a lot with the addition of Prolonged Grief Disorder to the DSM. As a grief counselor, I am grateful that this opens up services to more people, while also being concerned about the effect that this has on our understanding of what is often normal bereavement.

Overall, this was a fascinating book that really made me think. My main complaint was that the level of knowledge that O'Sullivan was able to have about the cases discussed varied significantly, through no fault of her own. This just meant that some chapters were interesting stories about her own lived experience having met with people with functional disorders, while others were her postulating on cases she did not have first-hand experience with. As a result, some chapters were more or less interesting.

4 stars - I really liked it

i've wanted to read this book for a while!!! and it didn't disappoint!! the author looks at various diseases and illnesses across the world which could be linked to psychosomatic reasons and the way different cultures treat them. i thought her voice was very kind while not shying away from the various viewpoints. would recommend

a fascinating look into psychosomatic disorders. o'sullivan puts so much care in interviewing sufferers, providing a genuine look into these disorders as well as criticizing how Western medicine treats these. an insightful read overall, but not exactly satisfying. however, i would like to point out how odd it is that they chose to title this as "Stories of Mystery Illness" when the book's purpose is to repudiate this label.

How do psychological factors lead to physical illnesses? Suzanne O'Sullivan delves into the world of pyschosomatic illnesses, demystifying what, for many, is viewed as 'taboo' or shameful.
This was a really interesting book for me, I thought each illness type was explained really well so that anyone (including myself, with no medical training) can understand. It looks at how different factors such as stress and mass hysteria can cause physical debilitating symptoms with no obvious causes showing up on medical scans and tests.
Absolutely fascinating, definitely recommend!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. There are many case studies dealing with rare and mysterious illnesses. If you’re like me and like reading about medicine, mental health, and mysterious conditions, this book is for you.

What an interesting book. I learned a lot from reading this book and my empathy for immigrants and refugees grew. There is so much we are still learning and do not understand about the mind, the body, and trauma that is interesting to see explored.

I am so disappointed because I was really intrigued by the description of this book, but I just could not get into it. The author writes about difficult concepts in an approachable and comprehensible way. Unfortunately, the subject matter (which should’ve been quite interesting) instead was very dry. I felt like I was reading a textbook or a dissertation. The author attempted to add in anecdotes about her own experiences, but it didn’t lighten up the heaviness of the rest of the writing. The author is clearly a very intelligent person who is passionate about the topic of functional/psychosomatic diseases, but that passion did not pass through to the reader because it was too hard to get through the content.

Dr. Suzanne O'Sullivan is an Irish neurologist who has travelled the world to explore cases of functional neurological disorder, also called mass hysteria. She details her findings in her book The Sleeping Beauties. These cases range from children in Sweden displaying mass resignation syndrome, where children of immigrants of uncertain status are comatose despite normal EEG studies, to the well-documented case of Le Roy NY.

I remember reading about the case of the girls of Le Roy New York, who were overcome with a twitching disorder. I remember the conclusion was mass hysteria and, as with other stories that make the headlines, the girls and their story were quickly forgotten.

Of current interest is Dr. O'Sullivan’s contention that the Havana Syndrome (still on-going as of this book review) could be considered a functional neurological disorder, however, “the U.S. intelligence services have not reached a consensus on or a formal determination of the cause of the Havana syndrome.” It will be interesting to see what, if any, final conclusions are drawn after careful study.

I believe that anthropologists would find this book of interest, as some of the functional neurological disorders are firmly rooted in native culture, such as the Miskito People or indigenous people of the Mosquito Coast in Nicaragua, some of whom have a condition called Grisi Siknis.

As for the book itself, while the subject itself is quite interesting, I think most casual readers would consider this a bit of a slog.

However, if the subject interests you, then this is a book you should most definitely read.


[Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for my honest and objective opinion which I have given here.]

I found this book fascinating- a mix of popular science and travelogue. It was easy to read because of the structure- every chapter is focused on a different case, yet O'Sullivan keeps the thread of trying to understand and de-stigmatize this group of illnesses throughout the book.

I learned so much and I feel like this book has changed the way I understand the mind-body connection as well as how cullture-bound our ideas of health and illness are, which affect how or if we will heal.

O'Sullivan is an engaging writer in that she tells the stories of these individuals and communities well and also shows empathy, nuance and respect for everyone she meets along the way.

It reminded me of two great non-fiction books:

Barbara Ehrenreich's Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer also warns against the dangers of too much diagnostic testing and medicalization.

Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History has the same structure that I really like: each chapter is about a different subject, which make her non-fiction easy to read.

3.5 stars

Dr. Suzanne O'Sullivan is an Irish neurologist who wrote the prize-winning book 'It's All in Your Head: True Stories of Imaginary Illness.' This book follows in the same vein, discussing illnesses that seem to have no somatic cause.

*****
The placebo effect occurs when a sick person receives a 'fake treatment' (like a sugar pill) and feels better anyway. It seems the mind can convince the body a fake treatment is the real thing.

The opposite is true as well. A person can exhibit ailments caused by their mind. Symptoms might include paralysis, blindness, headache, dizziness, coma, tremor, skin rashes, breathlessness, chest pain, palpitations, bladder problems, diarrhea, stomach cramps, or any other symptoms or disability one can imagine. This type of illness has been given many names over the years, including hysteria, conversion disorder, psychosomatic disorder, and functional neurological disorder (FND).

O'Sullivan observes that many people wrongly consider psychosomatic symptoms 'less real' than other medical problems She writes, "I struggle to see where this underestimation comes from....That the body is the mouthpiece of the mind seems self-evident to me, but I have the sense that not everybody feels the connection between bodily changes and the contents of their thoughts. So when a child becomes catatonic in the context of stresses....people are amazed and perplexed."

O'Sullivan became interested in childhood catatonia when she read a 2017 article about a 9-year-old girl in Sweden called Sophie. Sophie can't move, communicate, eat, or even open her eyes.....though medical tests show nothing wrong. Moreover, Sophie isn't unique. Other young girls in Sweden have fallen into similar catatonic states, suffering from a condition called 'resignation syndrome.'

The common factor among the resignation syndrome victims seems to be the fact that their families are asylum seekers. Sophie's family escaped persecution in Russia, and other catatonic girls belong to ethnic minorities like the Yazidi or the Uyghurs, who are oppressed in their home countries. If asylum isn't granted, the families will be deported.

Asylum seeking is a years-long process, and the families can feel like they're on trial....like they're being interrogated rather than listened to. O'Sullivan writes, "The asylum system seeks to find the mistakes that disprove an applicant's case, rather than looking for the evidence to prove it." O'Sullivan believes the children faced with possible deportation are under strain, and this induces the symptoms of resignation syndrome. Moreover, when granted residency the children usually wake up, albeit very very slowly.

Unfortunately many people look at psychosomatic symptoms as being 'fake' and untreatable. A physician called Dr. Olssen took O'Sullivan to visit two Yazidi sisters in Sweden - Nola (10) and Helan (11) - both of whom suffer from resignation syndrome. O'Sullivan writes, "Dr. Olssen welcomed me because I was a neurologist. She hoped that I could find a [brain-related] explanation....that I would interpret the clinical signs and legitimize the girls' suffering and convince someone to help them. That Nola had been lying in bed for a year and a half without eating or moving had not been deemed impressive enough to get her the help she needed."

Oddly enough, though asylum seekers are found all over the world, resignation syndrome seems confined to Sweden, and affects only certain ethnic groups. O'Sullivan speculates the syndrome is not a biological or psychological illness in the Western sense, but rather a sociocultural phenomenon.

O'Sullivan goes on to write about additional sociocultural/psychosomatic illnesses, which manifest differently in diverse places and varying ethnic groups.

*****
The Miskito people indigenous to Nicaragua have outbreaks of a condition called grisi siknis, which appears as irrational behavior and hallucinations. Victims have been seen to have convulsions, foam at the mouth, rip off their clothes, run manically, hyperventilate, and break and eat glass. Miskito people don't believe grisi siknis is psychosomatic, but say it's caused by a spirit or demon that (usually) appears as a man.

*****
In the Kazakhstani cities of Krasnogorsk and Kalachi, many residents experienced a mystery illness that drove them from their homes. One victim, named Tamara, got sick at a community party. She tells O'Sullivan that she started to feel strange, light-headed and sleepy and had to leave the party early. Tamara then went home, went to bed, and didn't get up for a few days. Tamara recovered, but never went back to feeling as healthy as she had been before she fell asleep. Tamara was not an isolated case, and many people in the region experienced similar symptoms.

*****
In 2016, an illness called Havana syndrome originated among Western diplomats in Cuba. American and Canadian State Department employees developed symptoms such as headache, earache, hearing impairment, dizziness, tinnitus, unsteadiness, visual disturbance, memory problems, difficulty concentrating and fatigue.

Most of the victims reported hearing a strange noise before their symptoms started, and speculation began that they had been subjected to a sound energy or sonic attack. The FBI and CIA looked high and low for traces of a sound weapon, but found none. Later, new victims appeared in China, and more recently in Serbia and India. Physicians aren't able to explain the sickness, and it appears to be a functional neurological disorder.

*****
In La Cansona, a region of Colombia, schoolgirls got caught up in a health crisis that began in 2014. The phenomenon began in a high school, when a group of girls - all in the same class - collapsed. Some just fell to the floor in a faint and some had convulsions. The condition spread quickly, and within a day, girls in several other classes got sick.

By 2019, it was estimated that, out of 120,000 people in the area, as many as 1,000 girls had fallen ill. The villagers attributed the illness to an HPV vaccine administered years before, but doctors dismissed this as a cause.

*****
High school girls in Le Roy, a town in upstate New York, developed neurological symptoms in 2011. The manifestation began with a teenager name Katie Krautwurst, who woke from a nap to find she had developed involuntary movements and verbal outbursts reminiscent of Tourette's syndrome. Katie twitched and writhed and let out involuntary shouts. Katie's best friend Thera got sick next, and the disorder soon spread to other teenagers. Some victims had convulsions, others couldn't walk. Katie and Thera ultimately needed wheelchairs when the muscle jerks became so violent that they caused them to fall. Doctors could find no somatic cause and the girls were diagnosed with conversion disorder.

A similar phenomenon occurred in Guyana in 2013, where the local people attributed the illness to 'Granny', the spirit of an old woman who lives in a cave.

*****
O'Sullivan discusses all these illnesses in detail, emphasizing that medical tests NEVER demonstrate a somatic cause and patients ALWAYS resist the idea they have a psychosomatic disorder.

O'Sullivan also goes on to discuss Western medicine vs. native remedies; attitudes of doctors to functional neurological disorders; the social stigma associated with having a 'fake' illness; the fact that psychosomatic disorders are attributed more often to females than males; her belief that people with psychosomatic disorders would improve with the correct treatment; the effect of the media on conversion disorders; the effect of culture and tradition on psychosomatic disorders; patients she's treated; and more.

The book is interesting and I liked the parts about O'Sullivan's travels; her interactions with people she met; victims she saw; foods she tried (like Colombian buñuelos (cheese donuts) and Kazakhstani mayonnaise soup); and more

On the downside, the narrative is somewhat repetitive and disjointed. Still, this is a fascinating subject and the book would probably appeal to readers interested in functional neurological disorders.

Thanks to Netgalley, Suzanne O'Sullivan, and Pantheon Books for a copy of the book.