> Considering that people joined in sometimes when they saw the "dancing plague", it doesn't seem like a weird mental issue. On the contrary, the expressions o

> Considering that people joined in sometimes when they saw the "dancing plague", it doesn't seem like a weird mental issue. On the contrary, the expressions of underlying mental problems, which we call mental illnesses, are highly contagious. The DSM has a list of non-Western illnesses it calls "culture bound" syndromes, but we're becoming increasingly aware of how true it is for mental illnesses in general - even diseases like schizophrenia manifest differently in non-Western countries.