Twitching Teens Are Getting Better
Remember the twitching teen epidemic? That's still going on — but there is good news at last: two of the affected girls have fully recovered, and three more are on the mend.
Nevertheless, there is no end to the debate as to whether the twitching is a psychological disorder or a bacterial infection.
[Dr. Jennifer] McVigh credits the treatment for conversion disorder, which includes behavior modification, psychological help and medication. But some parents are giving credit to a doctor, Dr. Rosario Trifiletti, a child neurologist from New Jersey.
Trifiletti diagnosed eight of the girls with a PANDAS-like illness, and prescribed antibiotics. Some say it's those girls who are getting better.
Either way, it seems that parents and other LeRoy dwellers are looking at the positive. As a precaution, the EPA is removing barrels from a 1970 train derailment that some have speculated as the cause of the teens' condition. No evidence has been found to connect the two, but cleaning the place up can't hurt.
Assuming the twitching disorder has been psychological from the get-go, Dr. McVigh suggests that a decrease in media coverage also may have helped with the girls recovery. So, uh, here's hoping they don't read this?
