CFS or PTSD? (was Re: [TML] Firefly novels) Jeff Zeitlin 18 Jun 2021 22:33 UTC

On Fri, 18 Jun 2021 16:54:15 +0100, Timothy Collinson - timothy.collinson
at port.ac.uk (via tml list) <xxxxxx@simplelists.com> wrote to Freelance
Traveller:

>I forgot my footnote which was going to be the OBTRAV bit of the email...
>
>[1]  Well I was improving until blood pressure rises and apoplexy hit on
>getting to page 45 of the Referee's Handbook for _Deepnight Revelation_.
>
>CFS is NOT a "recognized mental illness".  This is poor research and/or
>trying to mislead.  Some doctors have erroneously classified it as such but
>are incorrect.

As I recall, you had the same issue with another sourcebook, which you
mentioned in a Confession.

On rereading that sourcebook, I pretty much came to the conclusion that Mr
Dougherty mixed up "Chronic Fatigue" with "Chronic Stress", and that he was
thinking of what is called (here, at least) PTSD - "Post-traumatic Stress
Disorder". It's not only caused by single catastrophic stress events, but
by long-term elevated stress levels (and the symptoms of stress and fatigue
overlap quite a bit).

PTSD was once called "Battle Fatigue" or being "Battle Happy", which would
only add to the confusion.

I don't know if this was ever pointed out to Mr Dougherty. I'd hope that if
a Traveller fan with the same approximate level of lay knowledge I have
were to draw the attention of an appropriate medical professional to the
book(s) and passage(s) in question, perhaps that pro could draw Mr
Dougherty's attention to the likely confusion.

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