Upgrade Discussion & Feedback

[anthony]

As outlined in other announcements, the forum will be getting a significant upgrade in the coming months. Xenforo 1.2 software has shifted into Release Candidate (RC) now, which means it's in final testing before being declared stable for production environment use. In other words... install and release to your users. For those around a couple of years ago when I released a 2013 projection, most of that has been accomplished. Some has taken detours / been changed, though most of it remained as a solid foundation and is in the final stages. As such, part of that objective was to meet what the DSM turned PTSD into in relation to being a trauma and stressor disorder, no longer an anxiety disorder.

So... as that has come to fruition, the forum structure will change to include trauma and stressor forums for the specific discussion of their subject. Basically, the forum has always allowed those with Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) to be here because they endured a trauma that still met what is the same criterion A for PTSD, merely the symptoms experienced are shorter and lesser off. The changes to ASD in the DSM V still have criterion A as per PTSD, though simplified symptoms for a 9 out of 14 selection to meet (will update the wiki when I can). We cover that as simply "undiagnosed," as most physicians don't bother giving ASD, and instead monitor over a duration where PTSD is given if still present after 30 days.

Here is problem one, which requires member input. Adjustment Disorders (AD) are one of the four diagnoses under trauma and stressor related disorders. Whilst not even close to PTSD, there is crossover, like most things mental health.

The problem is that you can endure a trauma that meets PTSD, yet be diagnosed with AD because you don't meet the symptom profile of PTSD or ASD. Furthering the issue, AD is given to the majority of stressors and issues experienced in life, which opens the forum up to having people who are depressed and anxious because their partner cheated on them, they lost their job, so forth, though haven't otherwise been traumatised to the level of those here. From experience, some people with PTSD can be quite offended reading someone who's only problem is their partner cheated on them and their life is now shit. There are plenty who empathise with them... though such persons have never been here long-term and whether a resentment would set in is a major possible issue.

I can either include it and open the forum to more diversity of trauma and stressors, OR, carefully recategorise by trauma specific types so as not to lead anyone on that is looking for support because their long-time spouse left them, or a person is having marriage anxiety, so forth.

There are more possible issues that require member feedback to gauge direction with the upgrade... and I will list those closer to the time.

 

[anthony]

Problem two... do I include a resources directory for specific members to share web resources, apps to help with PTSD, so forth related content, instead of such things becoming lost in forum posts?

"Specific" means, above x post count to ensure the member is of long-standing stature here and is here for PTSD, not simply to advertise something. In other words, it would not be a premium member thing, otherwise someone wanting to advertise something could come along, pay for membership, list, then be gone. Not what I want, nor the idea.

People who have been around working on themselves for considerable time typically find little gems of information all over the web... which they find extremely useful. That is the sort of resources I'm talking about.

 

[anthony]

So premium members are aware, there are more features and functions coming for you. Premium members assist greatly in supporting the forum with upgrades and features via their premium membership, thus a lot of features are going to benefit premium members heavily in the coming upgrade.

 

[Whitneys story]

JMHO I have always tried not to judge a book by it's cover. The DSM changes will be relevant to specific cases.

Who are we to judge as individuals, not professional trained therapists; whether the surface shit is all someone can muster the strength to test the waters.

The knowledge and support wherever it is classified is there for the taking! The door is open for many to find a starting point. :hug Whitney. :tup: For all you do!

 

[Meadowsweet]

Firstly, you are doing a brilliant job here - so thank you very much.

Regarding adjustment disorder, for the reasons you've already mentioned, I don't feel it would be helpful to include it. I think any friction could possibly hinder the recovery of someone with AD? But also, I think it would make it more difficult to come out of denial or minimising trauma if a culture developed where it felt like trauma would be measured. This site does a good job of not letting that happen.

The page for links sounds really good too.

 

[Whitneys story]

Apps and resources might be a great sub category of the new wonder child Self Help!

Some of us silver participants love the shortest means of finding new things. It took me two weeks to find the Self Help as I am on the iPhone. JMHO, Whitney

 

[Hashi]

Have I understood correctly - what's being considered is some forums specifically for PTSD sufferers and some forums specifically for AD sufferers?

 

[Whitneys story]

Premium member upgrades? I can't imagine what you have up your sleeve that will improve the feature.

I would love to see the birthday list back.

I know it is likely just me. I love your avatar but is it possible to set it a teeny bit more to the left. I would swear your flipping the bird.

Artistic freedom might be mistaken on my part. :). Whitney

 

[anthony]

Apps and resources might be a great sub category of the new wonder child Self Help!

Self-help is a different area which is restricted to myself adding the content requested by members. The resource manager is an area that would allow x members to add external resources.

what's being considered is some forums specifically for PTSD sufferers and some forums specifically for AD sufferers?

No... which is the first problem that springs to my mind. The forums added will be trauma type focused for discussion specifically about that trauma type, NOT for those with that trauma type to discuss everything and anything.

If you read the AD wiki page you will notice that adjustment disorders don't have symptoms as such, instead its focus is really on simply having difficulty adjusting to a stressful or traumatic event, but you don't reflect the long symptom list of PTSD or ASD... more you have x event and now have some anxiety and/or depression and/or mood difficulties, yet have recovered completely within 6 months of the stressor ending.

Whilst AD is typically given for all those events in life that could be expected and anticipated, such as relationship breakups, financial difficulties, leaving home, best friend deceives you and so on... it also can be given if your raped, left a DV relationship, had a car accident and so forth. Lots of people have adjustment difficulties after even the most severe traumatic of events, yet they don't have PTSD, instead they simply have AD and will fully recover to never have that specific issue again. People too often jump to PTSD because of the trauma type, as it meets criterion A, yet the symptom severity may not even be present. As the AD diagnosis states, you can have all the symptoms of PTSD but not the severity, and be diagnosed with AD.

DSM categorisation was different prior denoting symptoms which didn't have common causes; now 3 diagnoses plus a zero symptom general trauma and stressor diagnosis makes up the new category which all have the cause in common, being a stressor or trauma. This is the change required here... being something I have avoided all these years because it does have the potential of creating such problems when denoting forums by trauma type, as many may participate who don't have PTSD, but instead have still suffered the traumatic event or lesser.

Basically, the foundation of PTSD has changed from an anxiety disorder to a trauma and stressor disorder. That is actually a significant change in how PTSD is viewed, thus the forum should also reflect such addition and change. Symptoms have been the functional areas here because PTSD had nothing in common with social anxiety, or general anxiety, so forth towards other anxiety disorders. PTSD is not that now, and is now interlinked with direct causation. It's like PTSD being changed to add complex trauma aspects of dissociation and depersonalisation... it is evolution and change. I do have to look at the full symptom list again as more has been added, thus forums here should reflect, as an example.

Premium member upgrades? I can't imagine what you have up your sleeve that will improve the feature.

One for starters will be member albums. There were several reasons why I got rid of the media section that hosted videos, one of the reasons is because finally a full product was in the making and has been released that has communal albums (photo + video) + user albums which allow users to set their own privacy and control their albums content. Communal will be everyone, user will be premium members only.

There are more than just that though... basically I am going to strip permissions down to bare basics for normal members, giving premium members a boost with features and functionality. As stated, premium members are the ones who help the forum financially, along with donors, which ultimately keep the forum open for free members to use. There is no other way to really look at it, that premium members should be given priority access to most features.

 

[anthony]

There's also going to be a guest reading limitation added in the upgrade, limiting guests to x reads before having to register so they can continue reading. The guest forum will be the only exclusion to that.

 

[anthony]

I may also drop the tags... not sure if they're helpful or just annoying.

 

[anthony]

Similar threads is also now ready and will be included in the update. That means when starting a new thread / replying to a thread and reading a thread, similar threads will be shown which may be of help to the reader / member.