Can We Help More Of Those In Need?

[njray]

I am asking for help.... Now it seems so simple but for one like me that is still learning it is not so easy. I have been reading and educating myself. NOT DIAGNOSING there are professionals for that. But how do they become professionals? Through many forms of education.... Now that said it has taken me over 5 months to kind of finish (as it is continuously evolving) the wiki ptsd forum informational pages that contain GREAT information all about PTSD. Now this does not include other sources for information either which there are thousands of additional schollarly documents on PTSD. Here is my problem and I have a intuition I am not the only one with the problem.

Follow along please as for me to explain my problem to which I am asking help for I need to create a picture and I am going to use words to describe it... Now please I am not a scientist or scholar I am just little ole me trying to learn and help others so bare with me.....

If I have a learning disability no matter what it is or its cause and the traditional way that information is desimated in regular standardized means and methods of written text makes learning difficult for me should there maybe be ways to provide the same information in text in other ways that fit mine and many others learning styles. To put it simply I and millions like me have a tough time grasping the GREAT information in the informational and educational segment of this wiki forum.

Now that said If I am beginnning to understand PTSD there is a chance that through education and knowledge sharing (is that not what we do in "the forums section") we might be able to better understand and then better treat PTSD. We are not using drugs we are just using words...... And if again I understand it. Therapy (and there are many types) or as I perceive it the means of sharing of information is quite important in the combatting of PTSD.

I hope I did not lose everyone... I would like to see somehow a better way to seminate the AWESOME information here on this site so that people with different learning styles can grasp PTSD.

NOT CHANGE THE INFORMATION. but better relay it... now there is more.... I could be wrong BUT tens of thousands of soldiers that are in the military have learning disabilities and the military compensates for that by there style of teaching and trainning methods and the testing they do to put the soldier into the best job that fills there profile.

Now I am wondering what the profile of say persons in the front line infantry are. I bet those that are in the front lines or in the arenas that allow for the greater chance of being introduced to traumas that are the root cause of PTSD are those of being less educated. Would a thoroughly educated and intelligent person want to be holding a bayonet and using it in hand to hand combat against three insurgents in a enemy stronghold building / enemy safe house or would the educated person be in a air conditioned bunker wearing a suit and tie in the united states controlling a remote control drone flying around the sand hills of Afghanistan directing ground forces into battle....

Is there a way someone can tell me here how we might make this information more attainable to those that may need it and provide them the information in a way that they can learn more about PTSD as to allow for a possible better and more efficient treatment there of to many in need. As it seems that education in all the aspects of PTSD might better a large population if we can create a level learning venue of those with learning disabilities.

Now I am going to tread lightly here... This may seem trivial to some but I can say the same thing about those that say PTSD is a bunch of BUNK...It is not until you walk in the shoes of being one that is effected by PTSD symptoms and the traumas that cause it can I believe you truly understand how PTSD feels and effects us. It is the same with learning disibilities/disorders when you cannot become knowledgeable because of a learning disibilities/disorders it works against you. We often become frustrated and instead of trudging through the landmines of trying to learn we much better would like to walk away and wither instead of learning and fighting this complex but manageable disorder.

Now I am a realist (sometimes) There is not a one size that fits all and this forum already does a GREAT job of providing information to allow many to become educated and knowledgeable.

Can someone create some more stimulation in this site and maybe more videos that explain the text through visual aids stuff lets say in snip its. There is this great site for ADHD (which is a disorder to which is very closely related or should I say many of its physical and mental components are shared in many different learning disabilities) It is called totallyadd.com which I am sorry to say is not a USA born website but produced by a Canadian consortium of professionals that use visually stimulating videos, dialog, illustrations and most important relevant and concise information that is easy for many with different learning disabilities to grasp. ADHD treatment is like that of PTSD understanding ADHD aids in the management/treatment of this disorder therefor I believe providing additional venues for those with different learning styles because of there disability may help many that suffer.

Any thoughts or ideas on how we can make this happen I think would make many in need suffer less

 

[Reclusive]

Well, we do have a media section to the website. So maybe, njray, if you're up to it (I'm sorry, I am so not up to it), maybe you could put some slideshows or something together so at least other people will be able to see what you mean. I definitely think an example is in order. And maybe once you take that first step, the others people here will feel more open about creating their own videos and stuff about how they overcame things and what PTSD is like.

 

[Reclusive]

Oh! Kinda like video diaries and stuff? I don't know if that would be totally welcome here or not, though.

 

[njray]

Thank you Recluse for responding. I have received a private message from another person as well that offered a suggestion. From the private message it is clear I have not explained my self well enough. Yes there is a media section which has its purpose with out a doubt. I do not know how many persons have seen the sidebar that is titled "PTSD forum wiki" it is a great set of pieces of information that tells alot about PTSD a ton of information is in this section. Personally IMHO it should be mandatory reading prior to being able to post on this forum. Why? Because it teaches/educates you about PTSD so that you can better help yourself and those on this forum. Which may allow for a quicker recovery time and prevent or at least surpress some post traumatic syndrom disorder thoughts and other issues that may arise and contribute to the perpetuating of the disease in the learning disabled community to which i think there is quite A large number in the ranks of those in the military and private population.

Because of learning disabilities like Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and others learning just by reading words or writing may be difficult. Now for instance my disability might be my inability to process information I read and I also have a difficult time remembering what i read sometimes from sentence to sentence. So when I read a paragraph Although I can see the individual words and understand them I often lose what the full intended meaning of the paragraghs whole meaning is. A possible cause for my disability may be chemical imbalances in my brain or short circuits in which information transfered from cell to cell is disrupted to again surpress my learning ability.

Now all this said there maybe (in my mind HA!) additional ways to teach what is in the ptsd wiki forum section. For instance creating videos that offer explanation through pictures or real life examples. IE pics of scans, pics or explanations of what happens in the brain during times of nightmares and why we have them. Show a session of therapy explaining what happens during these sessions and why. Provide visual graphs as to again stimulate the brain to want to continue to learn maybe through mini role play videos the different aspects of all that is in the side bar, It is becoming obvious that therapy helps in suppressing or managing PTSD symptoms they also might need to explain through visuals what the signs and symptoms of like depression or anxiety may be a contributing agent in a persons with PTSD symptoms.

I do not have every symptom of PTSD now nor I did not have all the signs of PTSD right after the attack. If I had been more pro active in my treatment right after the attack maybe just maybe I would not be in the dire straights internally and externally I am. I had viewed this forum as a visitor well before joining but it was very hard for me to learn about ptsd and put my arms around it because i did not even know what it really was. BTW it is not just this forum most others do not have videos and visual forums for educating,

The new PTSD website offered by I think by the VA has video but let me tell you if i saw 3 people more boring persons narrating a script IKES, They need to offer visual stimulation with relative and meaningful content as it relates to PTSD. Again from my earlier post as to reach a more targeted audience that I strongly believe are more prone to PTSD but might not have the resources or knowledge to get the help they need.

 

[Reclusive]

I think I get what you're saying. What I'm saying is that you should put together an example of something that would be in your learning style, say... on what a trigger is and how to recognize it. Upload that to the media section and then maybe Anthony could check it out and embed it in the appropriate article or something like that. I think it's a really good idea, I'm just not up for pursuing it myself and I thought since it was your idea, you might be better equipped.