In 'Hysterical,' a podcaster unpacks a mysterious contagious illness among teen girls

By Tonya Mosley

Published June 18, 2025 at 9:00 AM EDT

Dan Taberski won a "Podcast of the Year" award for his investigation of a 2011 outbreak of tics and spasms in one high school. He's also the creator of the "Missing Richard Simmons" podcast.

NPR News

Tonya Mosley

Tonya Mosley is the LA-based co-host of Here & Now, a midday radio show co-produced by NPR and WBUR. She's also the host of the podcast Truth Be Told.

See stories by Tonya Mosley

Support nonprofit, fact-based public service journalism

WEKU depends on support from those who view and listen to our content. There's no paywall here. Please support WEKU with your donation.

Contribute now

Related Content

The Commonwealth

Enrollment grows at Kentucky public universities and colleges

Sylvia Goodman

While enrollment has grown at Kentucky’s public universities and the Kentucky Community and Technical college system, the state has also taken a hit to two key affordability measures.
NPR News

Trump will toss TikTok another lifeline, pushing back its sell-by date for a third time

John Ruwitch

Last year, Congress banned the app in the U.S., citing national security concerns and demanding it spin off from its Chinese owner, ByteDance. Trump said he'll once again pause enforcement of the ban.
The Commonwealth

DOJ sues Kentucky over in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants

Sylvia Goodman

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Kentucky over a regulation that gives “an undocumented alien” in-state tuition if they graduated from a Kentucky high school.
NPR News

Social Security benefits face big cuts in 2033, unless Congress acts

Scott Horsley

Trustees of the Social Security trust fund predict the fund will be exhausted in eight years. Unless Congress acts, Social Security payments will automatically drop by 23% at that time.
NPR News

Democratic lawmakers press USDA for answers on sensitive data collection

Jude Joffe-Block

35 House members said they are troubled by the Agriculture Department's plans to collect personal data from people who applied for federal food assistance, and urged the effort to "immediately cease."