At least 11 episodes of mass panic — workers fainting en masse after colleagues reported 'ghosts' or 'jinns' — have struck Bangladesh's garment sector over the past decade, according to a report by Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo. Medical experts and labour leaders say the real culprits are malnutrition, overwork, and psychological contagion — not the supernatural.

What happened at Universal Menswear

The latest documented episode occurred on 22 August at the Universal Menswear factory inside the Adamjee Export Processing Zone in Narayanganj, an industrial hub on the outskirts of Dhaka. Shortly after the lunch break, a female worker on the third floor screamed 'ghost' and fainted. Panic spread rapidly — around 50 workers on the second and third floors soon fell ill. Management shut the factory that day; the episode repeated the following day, forcing a second closure.

A pattern, not an anomaly

Far from being an isolated occurrence, the Prothom Alo report identified at least 11 similar incidents in garment factories over the past ten years. The peak year on record was 2008, when multiple units reported comparable 'ghost' or 'jinn' scares — more than in any other single year. According to the analysis, such episodes typically erupt in large factories, often beginning with rumours of a presence in bathrooms or claims that a co-worker has been 'possessed'. One worker's collapse then triggers a chain reaction of mass fainting or sudden illness among others on the floor.

What labour leaders say

Nazma Akhter, President of the Garments Workers Unity Forum, offered a grounded explanation: female workers frequently arrive at the factory already unwell, suppressing symptoms under financial pressure. Low wages leave many unable to afford adequate nutrition on most days, while family stress compounds the mental burden. 'Under such strain, workers often collapse,' the report noted, adding that some individuals may exploit the ensuing chaos to amplify panic. Factory managers and union representatives pointed to a combination of work stress, malnutrition, superstition, and psychological contagion as the underlying drivers.

The medical diagnosis: mass psychogenic illness

Professor Helal Uddin Ahmed of the Psychiatry department at Faridpur Medical College attributed the symptoms — dizziness, nausea, and stomach pain — to conversion disorder, also known as Functional Neurological Disorder. The condition involves real neurological-like symptoms, including weakness, apparent seizures, or sensory loss, that occur without detectable structural brain damage; disrupted brain-body communication is understood to be the mechanism. When such symptoms spread through a group, clinicians classify the outbreak as mass psychogenic illness — a phenomenon reportedly documented in schools, hostels, and factories worldwide. Professor Ahmed stressed that prevention requires mental health awareness programmes, access to counselling, adequate rest facilities, and fair wages.

Owners' suspicions and what comes next

Some factory owners, according to the report, suspect that organised groups may be deliberately fanning panic to disrupt production, though the newspaper acknowledged it could not independently establish that claim. Without structural improvements — better wages, nutritional support, and mental health resources — experts warn that such episodes are likely to recur, disrupting output and placing further strain on an industry that is a cornerstone of Bangladesh's export economy. The incidents put a spotlight on systemic labour welfare gaps that policy-makers and industry bodies have yet to fully address.