Gillette Syndrome

Gillette Syndrome is the social disruption that can occur in a community due to rapid population growth. Such disruptions usually include increased crime, degraded mental health, weakened social and community bonds, abnormally high costs of living, and other social problems.

Gillette Syndrome is most relevant to boomtowns that are growing rapidly due to nearby natural resource extraction, such as coal mining or natural gas drilling.

Psychologist ElDean Kohrs coined the term "Gillette Syndrome" in an attempt to describe the social impacts of rapid coal mining development on the boomtown of Gillette, Wyoming. ^[1]

References

1. Kohrs, El Dean (1974), "Social Consequences of Boom Growth in Wyoming". Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Rocky Mountain American Association for the Advancement of Science in Laramie, Wyoming.