Gillette Syndrome

Gillette Syndrome is a term used to describe 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.

The term is usually applied to boomtowns that are growing rapidly due to nearby natural resource extraction, such as coal mining or natural gas drilling.

The term was coined by psychologist ElDean Kohrs in an attempt to describe the social impacts of rapid coal mining development on the boomtown of Gillette, Wyoming.