Twelve female students from Le Roy Junior Senior High School in upstate New York are experiencing a mysterious medical condition . Their symptoms include stuttering , uncontrollable twitching movements and verbal outbursts . Health officials say the symptoms are consistent with `` conversion disorder . '' Dr. Jennifer McVige , a pediatric neurologist at the DENT Neurologic Institute who is treating many of the students affected , said , `` Conversion disorder is a physical manifestation of physiological symptoms where there is traditionally some kind of stress or multiple stressors that provoke a physical reaction within the body . '' McVige said the symptoms are real . `` This is unconscious . It is not done purposefully . '' Thera Sanchez , a senior on the honor roll at the school , said she has been fighting this affliction since October . She said after waking up from a nap , `` I got upset , I could n't stop stuttering . '' During an interview with CNN 's Jason Carroll , her symptoms were apparent : She was twitching uncontrollably , flailing her left arm and jerking her head to one side . Sanchez said she also faints and has seizures . The seizures are a result of her pre-existing epilepsy disorder , which had been under control for years . Lydia Parker , also a senior at the school , is exhibiting similar symptoms . `` I took a five-minute nap . I passed out for five minutes and I woke up stuttering , '' Parker said . She said her symptoms also started in October . Parker has a bruised forehead after banging it on her bedpost during a fainting spell , she said . Officials at the school hired an independent third party to conduct mold and air quality tests but found no environmental cause for the girls ' illnesses . A statement posted on the school 's website said , in part , `` The medical and environmental investigations have not uncovered any evidence that would link the neurological symptoms to anything in the environment or of an infectious nature . '' Sanchez 's mother , Melissa Phillips said she does not agree . `` I do n't think that all physical aspects of this have been exhausted ; not enough testing has been done . '' Phillips said she found out other girls were exhibiting the same symptoms when she brought her daughter to the hospital . The nurse said Thera was the fourth girl in a week to come in with the same issues . `` I was very irate to not know that other girls were going through this . '' She also disagreed with McVige 's assertion that the girls are improving , saying , `` Nothing is getting better , you know , the girls are still getting worse . They have good days and bad days . '' McVige is not sure why so many girls at the same school are suffering all at once . `` I do know that traditionally when they 've ( doctors ) looked back at different events that occurred in a similar nature , a majority of the time it is girls . '' According to the Mayo Clinic , females are much more likely to get conversion disorder and it is more common in adolescents or young adults . McVige said she used the `` diagnosis of exclusion '' to determine what happened to the girls , which means using the process of elimination . She ruled out a laundry list of factors to reach her diagnosis , including infections , drug use , food allergies and vaccine reactions , specifically Gardasil . The New York State Health Department agreed with McVige 's diagnosis after speaking with several doctors who evaluated the students . `` There are many causes of tic-like symptoms . Stress can often worsen them , '' said spokesman Jeffrey Hammond . `` The doctors all agree that the symptoms these girls are experiencing are real . '' This is n't the first time reports have surfaced of multiple students at one high school experiencing twitching symptoms . In 2007 , nine female students and one teacher were reported to have the same issues at William Byrd High School in Roanoke , Virginia . The school spent $ 30,000 testing the school and the surrounding area but found no evidence of any environmental factors that may have contributed to the illnesses . The school principal , Richard Turner , said after closely interviewing the students , they found six of them were faking the symptoms . The teacher who was affected is now symptom free and still teaching at the school . One student who got better within days , according to Turner , was determined to have had a reaction to medication . The other two students ' symptoms were eventually resolved . All of them graduated . `` We have n't had any other reported incidents since then , '' Turner said . The Virginia Department of Health also did an investigation and told CNN it found no contributing environmental factors and concluded the students ' symptoms , though varied , were consistent with a social phenomenon called `` mass psychogenic hysteria , '' which suggests real symptoms but no biological cause . Thera Sanchez said all she wants is to get better so she can go to college next year . `` I do n't think this is in my head . '' McVige said she wanted to assure the public that this illness will not spread . `` I feel we need to put an end to feeling that this is a mystery , that someone is going to catch something contagious . '' She expressed confidence all the girls will get better , adding they have `` an excellent prognosis . ''
`` Conversion disorder '' causes twitching , stuttering , verbal outbursts . It's a condition that can be caused by any number of things including physical trauma or abuse as well as mental illness and drug use.