Paxman, however, remained in his element: unflappable – afflicting those he thought too comfortable, and comforting anyone he believed too afflicted.
And after a 2009 study linked chronic fatigue syndrome — a mysterious tiredness believed to afflict a million Americans — to a retrovirus called XMRV, there was hope that H.I.V. drugs might also work against that ailment.
This is hardly limited to New Yorkers, of course -- it is believed to afflict as much as 20percentt of the population and causes many people in northern latitudes to spend the winter beset by blues.
"Hysteria"—from the Greek, hystera, "uterus"—was believed to afflict women since the times of Plato.
If Uematsu made troubling but consistent remarks to politicians and co-workers, his Twitter account reveals that he was fixated on a number of things he believed were afflicting his homeland, like AIDS and radiation poisoning.
When the afflicted believe they married witches, were cursed by devils or swallowed evil snakes, appeals to empirical reason can seem naïve.
Lester, however, believes that some afflicted infants may be at risk of developing behavioral problems as children, in part because colic affects the way parents interact with them as babies.
Mr. Grey, a former talent manager, felt he had done everything possible to honor the DreamWorks team, who he came to believe were simply afflicted by seller's remorse, according to associates who spoke on anonymity to avoid further conflicts.
The symptoms bear a close resemblance those of delusional parasitosis, a disorder in which sufferers, often drug abusers, believe they are afflicted with hidden parasites and resist all evidence to the contrary.
