Hysteria

There was a piece of news in local newspapers last week about mass hysteria among new trainees at the IKBN (National Skills Training Institute for Youths) , Kemasik, Terengganu. It was attributed to the presence of ghostly spirits on the new campus, which was built on a piece of hitherto vacant and 'unoccupied' land! I wonder why the spirits allow the contractors to build the imposing complex but seems not to tolerate the presence of youthful souls on it. Perhaps the young trainees give out high decibels of noise than the contractors' cranes and drilling machines and for that the spirits just cannot stand the youths' high spirits.

I too was once afflicted by the so-called 'hysteria'. I was thirteen at that time and lived in the hostel. I came from a very poor family in the village and to be transplanted among the sons of the well-to-do really unsettled me. To add to that pressure, my parents were divorced about a year before. Having no one to turn to at that tender age, I didn't have the safety valve to let go the pent-up feelings and emotions.

One night, out of the blue I like out a loud cry...to the surprise of my dormmates. I cried and spoke loudly about things and people. I couldn't control the situation. Words came out of my mouths and I kicked at my bed's the upper deck. A fairly big dormmate sat on that but I seem to have so much energy.

This bout of hysteria was followed by a few more in the subsequent months. It was very embarrasing to me. My already low self-esteem went lower and later I became withdrawn. I feel ashamed of my incontrollable bits of hysteria. My fits of hysteria lasted for about a year. After that I was 'cured'! However the emotional scar remains for quite a long time since.

I don't know the state of the IKBN, Kemasik's trainees when they were afflicted by the mass hysteria. I came to know later that bomohs (traditional medicine men) were called in to pacify the disturbed spirits .

Hysteria! it's not hysterics!