User talk:Zefryl

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Unreadable characters
Hello. The specified character in question is a Unicode character, and is a character which encodes a zero width space. That means, it permits the layout algorithm to break the text (in this case, the chemical name) at those points, without changing the visual appearance of the text whatsoever. Technically, if it does appear as a box (which marks an unreadable/unsupported character in browsers, usually) then either your browser is not capable of displaying Unicode text, or your system is not capable of handling it correctly, or your font is something weird... I am unsure, perhaps I should ask someone else to check the page out and tell me whether they see those boxes as well. Perhaps you could do that too, as well as checking your browser settings whether Unicode is set, or autodetect is set. Regards P-kun80 (talk) 09:28, 1 January 2009 (UTC)

Posttraumatic stress disorder
Hello, I noticed that you said that the insertion of 'psychological' harm in the first graf of this piece is inaccurate. I believe you are wrong. PTSD can result from trauma that is either physical or psychological in nature. Regards,MarmadukePercy (talk) 01:55, 10 March 2009 (UTC)


 * Hi Marmaduke. Thanks for the message. The description in the first paragraph of the article is based on the 'Criterion A' definition of trauma given in the current DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria. While it may be debatable whether PTSD can result from events where there is not even the threat of physical harm, that doesn't reflect the current official consensus, and so probably shouldn't be stated as fact in the lead paragraph's definition. Take care. -Zefryl (talk) 02:11, 10 March 2009 (UTC)


 * Thanks for your response. But don't you think it's a contradiction to insist in the first graf that PTSD is due solely to a physical threat, while insisting in the next graf that it's a psychological trauma? Clearly, the perception is what's at issue here. Whether something is a physical threat, or a perceived threat to one's personal boundaries is what's important, correct? And, ultimately, how does one differentiate between the two? Regards, MarmadukePercy (talk) 03:35, 10 March 2009 (UTC)


 * (1) I take the statement that it's a "psychological trauma" to mean that (part of) what's damaged is the psyhce -- i.e., as opposed to physical trauma like injury. I agree that the phrase isn't 100% clear though. (2) Evidence suggests that the overwhelming majority of traumata do in fact involve actual or threatened death or injury or a threat to physical integrity, consistent with the criterion A definition. Every common category of trauma reported in Kessler et al's epidemiological study, for instance, meets criterion A (ie: rape, molestation, physical attack, combat, shock, threat with weapon, accident, natural disaster with fire, witnessing someone being badly injured or killed, neglect, and physical abuse; and he was working under DSM-III, before the current definition was established). (3) I still think the main point is that, while many people have many legitimate disagreements with DSM-IV, it does represent the current official consensus and the lead paragraph ought to reflect that. I have copied this discussion to the article talk page for others to comment. -Zefryl (talk) 13:02, 10 March 2009 (UTC)


 * I'm late to the dance here, but was passing by, and thought I'd comment. As a mental health professional who has specialized in treatment of PTSD for over a decade, I'm quite sure that [a] PTSD is a mental disorder (no argument there, I trust!), [b] necessarily caused by precursor conditions in the mind/brain. Period. Physical events do not cause PTSD.


 * Perception of physical events CAN cause PTSD, surely, but the link is probabilistic, not deterministic, and indirect rather than direct, as there is an intervening variable (perception). To come to the point, PTSD happens when the levels of fear produced by the brain, in reaction the perception of a threat, exceeds the adaptive capacity that the brain possesses. Thus, two people riding in the same car, which engages in a serious auto accident, may have very different experiences, and thus very different psychological outcomes. One may have one or two nights of bad dreams and the other a diagnosable Acute Stress Disorder which proceeds to PTSD after 30 days.


 * As I get the time, I will be marshaling appropriate resources to support these simple assertions in the PTSD article. TomCloyd (talk)

"Society and culture" (formerly "Cultural references" deleted from PTSD
We've talked about this before a bit, on the PTSD talk page. I finally got my thinking together, and have deleted the section. I carefully listed the reasons for this action, on the talk page. Thought you'd be interested, as you have previously expressed approval of this idea. I will say that that section annoyed my seriously for months, until today. Now...on to much more work on the article. TomCloyd (talk) 04:53, 26 December 2009 (UTC)

Hmmm. It took 7 hours for someone to restore the deletion. So, an argument has started about this. The restorer's reasoning was shabby at best. I re-deleted the material. Feel free to jump into the fray if it suits you! TomCloyd (talk) 09:56, 26 December 2009 (UTC)