Examining such diverse 20th-century maladies as alien abduction, satanic ritual abuse, the recovered-memory movement, and the syndromes --multiple personality, Gulf War, and Chronic Fatigue--Showalter argues for their interpretation as psychological plagues, modern instances of hysteria spread through the mass media. An understanding of such hystories, she argues, can help us understand and treat the physical and emotional suffering associated with these epidemics.