A family in China is suing their daughter’s school after she was diagnosed with an acute and transient psychotic disorder, allegedly caused by a horror movie she watched in class, Chinese media reported.
The unusual case began two years ago, but ended in court a few weeks ago.
In October 2023, because their teacher was on temporary leave, a class of students at a school in Hangzhou, Guanxi Province of China, watched a movie in the classroom.
Although no details about the film have been revealed to the press, according to the parents of one of the students, it was a horror film that had a very serious impact on her.
The problems supposedly began the night after the screening, when the young woman began to exhibit unusual symptoms, including incoherence and loss of contact with reality.
Concerned about her behavior, her parents took her to a hospital, where she was diagnosed with “acute and transient psychotic disorder.”
The student’s parents filed a lawsuit against the school, seeking $42,000 in damages.
They claimed that watching horror movies directly contributed to their daughter’s mental illness and that the school was failing to adequately fulfill its educational oversight duties.
Medical records showed that neither the girl nor other members of her family had a history of mental illness.
On the other hand, the school denied all responsibility, insisting that the student’s psychotic disorder was caused by her special constitution or potentially existing mental problems.
The institution’s lawyer told the court that it only accepted 10 percent of the responsibility for the girl’s problems.
Before the court gave an official verdict, a heated dispute broke out on Chinese social media, with some claiming that the school could have monitored the students and prevented them from watching such a horror film.
Others defended him, stating that the student’s psychotic disorder was only temporary, meaning it eventually went away with treatment and medication.
Ultimately, the trial judge ruled that the school was negligent in viewing the film and was 30 percent responsible for the student’s episode of mental illness. Therefore, the court ordered the school to pay 9,182 yuan ($1,300) in compensation through insurance.
Acute and transient psychotic disorder can occur even in people with no history of mental illness, with the most common triggers being situations in which fear or anxiety is extremely intense.