The CIA Saying Havana Syndrome Is A Hoax Makes Me Think It's Real

BBC- Most cases of a mysterious illness striking US officials dubbed "Havana syndrome" were not caused by a foreign power, CIA officials say.

Since 2016, US diplomats around the world have reported symptoms - sparking suggestions Russia, China or another adversary could be responsible.

But a majority of 1,000 cases looked at by the CIA can be explained by stress or natural causes, officials say.

The release of the findings has angered some of those who fell ill.

And the CIA is still looking into a small number of unexplained cases, where the role of a foreign power has not been ruled out.

Americans who have been hit by Havana syndrome have described dizziness, headaches and an intense and painful sound in their ears. First reported in Cuba in 2016, cases have since been reported in Geneva, Berlin and elsewhere.

Some US officials have previously suggested the illness could be caused by microwave attacks, fuelling speculation the illness could be a kind of weapon from a foreign actor such as Russia. Moscow has always denied any involvement.

However, one official told the BBC that while the investigation had made 'significant progress,' it had not found evidence of a worldwide campaign by a foreign state.

Instead, it had found that most of what are formally known as anomalous health incidents could be explained by medical conditions like undiagnosed illness or environmental factors.

The official added it was "unlikely that a foreign actor, including Russia, is conducting a sustained, worldwide campaign, harming US personnel with a weapon or mechanism".

Groups representing victims of the illness said they were disappointed by the report's initial conclusions.

The Havana Syndrome phenomenon has been well covered by a variety of angles. All of the stories are quite interesting. But I feel as though it is better for all victims if they find solace that there is not an unknown mental ailment affecting their day-to-day life. A lot of these individuals who were experiencing "Havana Syndrome" symptoms were also displaying early-onset dementia and CTE-like symptoms, all very scary diagnoses. In a passage from the book "Havana Syndrome: Mass Psychogenic Illness and The Real Story Behind The Embassy Mystery and Hysteria" they discuss the impact of the idea of thinking you have a mental ailment can actually cause negative mental progress.

Most people think of the Placebo effect as positive but there can also be a negative placebo effect. The idea that Havana Syndrome exists could be a detriment for those who are dealing with psychogenic effects. 

So by that thinking, by declaring Havana Syndrome not real, it may actually help those struggling with psychogenic illness. Even if there was a ray beam Russians were blasting into U.S national's brains to cause depression or brain degenerative diseases, it would be better for those affected to say it was not real. So yes, this take functions on this exact logic:

Congress did pass a law recently providing compensation to individuals who may have been affected by Havana syndrome.

Interesting issue- This is going to be one of those things that we will only get the truth out of in about 20 years.