The town of LeRoy, New York, made headlines early last year when it became apparent that a growing number of teenage girls, all from the same local high school, were developing tics and twitches that closely resembled Tourette's syndrome.

Now, a new documentary charts the fear, panic and suspicion of the families involved, as the bizarre affliction took hold of an increasing number of people in the community, and media coverage spiraled out of control.

A trailer for TLC's The Town That Caught Tourette's?, which will air on Wednesday, May 22 at 10pm ET/PT, shows footage of several students twitching as they describe their symptoms.

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The town that caught Tourette's? Two teenagers from LeRoy, New York, discuss the tics and seizures they started experiencing in late 2011 in a new TLC documentary

'The electrical shock feeling that I get in my spine never goes away,' one is heard saying between tics.

Another, also visibly affected, says: ' I was always so active . . . I don't feel like myself . . . anymore.'

Some are even seen violently convulsing as they await diagnosis in hospital.

A doctor who treated many of the teenagers describes how she began to notice a pattern emerging.

'By the fourth patient, the first thing I said was: "What high school do you go to?"' she said.

But as medical experts failed to identify a cause - or indeed a cure - worry turned to fear, panic and suspicion, particularly as the wider world began to show an interest.

'Electric shock feeling': One young girl clutches onto the sides of a hospital bed as she convulses

Distressing symptoms: Another sufferer can be seen in a hospital bed twitching as she awaits diagnosis

'I don't understand it - something is not right,' one parent tells the camera.

Another suggests drugs may be involved, adding: 'It's either completely unrelated or they've all gotten into something.'

'There might be some sort of cover up. Whatever it is, it may be spreading'

One of the younger sufferers is seen insisting: ' Seriously, why would we fake this?'

The one-hour documentary examines the various speculated causes of the Tourette's-like tics, as well as the rising fear that something serious was being covered up.

'There might be some sort of cover up,' one man is heard suggesting. 'Whatever it is, it may be spreading.'

Another says: 'Please, just tell us what this is and where it came from and how we can get rid of it.'

Tourette's-like symptoms: The teenagers affected by the bizarre tics speak of their distress in the documentary, describing how their lives have changed



Mystery condition: All exhibit frequent twitches, some more extreme than others, as they speak. One girl says: 'I feel like people look at me and judge me'

And a woman's voice is full of frustration as she tells the camera: 'Stop lying to me and just tell me you don't know what the hell's going on!'

In total 19 patients came forward with Tourette’s like symptoms, which include uncontrollable facial and body twitching.

The sufferers, some of which are affected to this day, include 14 girls aged between 13 and 18 and one adult victim, 36-year-old nurse practitioner Marge Fitzsimmons.

The true cause of the illness is still a mystery, but the documentary explores different possible causes such as infections, environmental influences, conversion disorder and even Lyme disease.

Among those who have taken an interest in the case is environmental campaigner Erin Brockovich.

She has suggested that a chemical spill from a train derailment in the 1970s near the site of the girls’ school may be the cause.



Debilitating: Ms Fitzsimmons said that her head would become locked 'on the back side of my shoulder'

'Why would we fake this?' The teenagers are forced to defend themselves as some speculate that attention-seeking is behind the mystery condition

But doctors who have treated or tested the girls in Le Roy believe they are suffering from conversion disorder, or the twitching symptoms are possibly related to an infection.

More recently, Facebook and YouTube were being blamed for the mystery illness.

Doctors said that symptoms are being ‘reinforced and magnified’ because victims of the bizarre condition are uploading videos of themselves onto social networking sites to appeal for help.

They argue that when other people in the town of LeRoy view the videos, they are unconsciously mimicking what they see and spreading it around.

David Lichter, professor of neurology at the University of Buffalo, who has treated several of the patients, told MSNBC: 'It's remarkable to see how one individual posts something, and then the next person who posts something not only are the movements bizarre and not consistent with known movement disorders, but it's the same kind of movements.

Asking questions: Lori Brownell, 16, posted a video on YouTube showing the Tourette's-like symptoms

'This mimicry goes on with Facebook or YouTube exposure. This is the modern way that symptomology could be spread.’

Researchers have also come up with a string of theories and believe teenagers may have been struck down by pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome, or PANS, which is a kind of OCD linked to strep throat.

Other believe that Morgellons could be to blame, which is a disease that causes patients to sprout painful sores.

Some doctors have also suggested it could be a mass psychogenic illness which can be triggered by stress and is spread from unconscious mimicry of one another.

School scandal: Eighteen Le Roy High School students reported a mysterious outbreak of spasms and seizures

Dr. Laszlo Mechtler, chief of neurology at the Dent Neurologic Institute in Buffalo, said: 'When one has a symptom, it can be reinforced and magnified with other individuals with similar symptoms.

'That's what's going on with these girls. They are in a segregated small rural town in New York state. They are a cohesive group. And this wildfire of symptoms takes control.'

During an angry meeting with school officials in February 2012, parents asked why the soil around a natural gas well which had been dug on school ground had not been tested for contamination.

'This could take years! What are you doing to protect my kid? What are you doing to protect these peoples kids?' said parent Patrick Frauley.

