Toxicology experts on Life have dismissed the idea that spirits can drive a person into madness. The rumor began circulating on social networks and in the press after a Muscovite reportedly found herself stuck in a traffic jam and attracted the attention of a man in a nearby car. Allegedly, the man sought to strike up a conversation, the woman refused, and she supposedly handed him an alcohol sample as a parting gift. This sequence of events was said to have led to her hospitalization in a psychiatric clinic.
Experts explain that there is indeed a class of substances capable of triggering psychosis in some people. However, the likelihood of such poisoning occurring on city streets in Moscow is exceedingly small. First, these poisons fall under strict oversight by special services. Second, they are not used as depicted in the tale; in practice, they simply would not produce the claimed outcome in that setting. The risk, while real in certain medical contexts, is not something that would plausibly unfold in a casual roadside encounter in the capital.
According to the professionals interviewed, this incident reads like a coincidence more than a documented case. The presence of spirits or intoxication through a mysterious substance in this story is more a matter of storytelling than proven fact. The overall pattern matches a common kind of urban legend where a dramatic twist in a social encounter becomes a viral tale, even though the underlying medical reality does not support such a narrative.
Later information from the 112 emergency services network clarified that the tale about a girl taken to a mental hospital after inhaling a gifted fragrance is not accurate. It was later confirmed that the individual involved was indeed admitted to a medical facility for a diagnosed mental health condition, yet this diagnosis was not linked to an unknown perfumer offering fragrance samples in a traffic jam. In other words, the hospital visit was real, but the alleged cause, associated with an enigmatic fragrance, was not supported by evidence in the public reporting. This distinction matters because it highlights how easily misinterpretations can spread when rumors meet sensational details.
Health professionals emphasize the importance of critical evaluation when encountering sensational claims about substances causing sudden psychosis. The medical literature does acknowledge that certain substances, in specific doses and contexts, can precipitate psychiatric symptoms in vulnerable individuals. Yet the everyday street scenario described in the rumor would require a combination of conditions that, in reality, did not occur. The takeaway is clear: suspicious or extraordinary stories about chemical exposure should be checked against clinical data and credible inquiries, rather than accepted on the basis of social chatter alone. When doubt arises, consulting medical experts or official health communications helps distinguish fact from fiction. In this case, the traffic jam tale, while intriguing, does not stand up to scrutiny and serves as a cautionary example of how easily misinformation can spread in the age of rapid digital sharing.