Poll Is There Any Benefit Of Having A Combat Supporter Sub-section?

[Nicolette]

On reading recent posts it seems that, like Vets, combat supporters tend to gravitate towards each other as, while still dealing with PTSD, there are differences due to the combat which only they understand. Being left alone waiting and then the isolation of PTSD being one such example.

I was thinking do you think there is any benefit of having a sub-forum in the Supporter section labelled for all Combat Supporter discussions and topics.

My reason for this is the SSA caters for sexual abuse and other PTSD varies in how it occurs however there are greater similarities in struggles than those with Combat Sufferers.

Please vote.

 

[wife of]

That would be amazing.

I think that most supporters of combat ptsd vets find that they identify best with other veteran supporters and some of the problems we face are "unique" to the veteran society as the routes for specific help are generaly different.

Its not that we consider ourselves to be in any way special or more affected,just that they way we have to seek help ,be it medical or financial is completely different.

The training that all vets have had does mean that the way thier ptsd manifests itself is slightly different and to a certain extent many of thier supporters also have a unique set of thier own "traumas" due to thier vets service that is sometimes not understood by the wider community.

<Please remember to insert full line spaces between paragraphs wife of. Thanks Amethist>

 

[Srain]

You know, I'm just a PTSD survivor, but I have a brother that was special forces and an ex that was military and from reading some of the posts - just my opinion - there really seems to be a unique area in the shut down and experience - I went through some things with my ex that were in explicable, when he would leave and come back ...

I am for it. Good idea.

peace,
Rain

 

[Zipperhead]

I wanted to vote here. I wanted to say that I have found strength in PTSD survivors from accidents, abuse, combat, every type of trauma. If I limited myself to only talking to vets, I don't think I would understand near as much as I do now. Allot of my posts have been in the supporters area. Listening to all your sad stories scared me at first. Is that what I do to my wife? Is someone telling her to leave me too? But it felt good to see my symptoms were the same as everyone elses. Limiting yourselves to a select group will not make it easier, it will just take away some of the other resources you can draw on. People who have an experience that might help you may not even see your post.

And yet, I am a member of the Combat PTSD Forum. A place where I can go and relax, not be judged, where people understand. They talk my language. I know the feeling os security I have there. Do you deserve to have that safe place too? Do you need a place where everyone understands? Yes, but,,,,,,,,,

 

[Navy Spouse]

I can see what Zipperhead is saying, I have learned from reading threads of non combat PTSD sufferers also. I greatly appreciate the support from people who apply to my post no matter what their experience is. Although I believe it would be helpful to have our own space. There seems to be a growing number of supporters here that are dealing with a BF/GF, spouse or friend suffering from combat PTSD and I feel it would be really helpful to have a place to go and feel that everyone there knows what you're talking about.

Alot of us find this sight out of desperation after expecting a happy reunion at the end of a long stressful period of time. When that doesn't happen we don't know what hit us. I just stumbled upon this sight and I'm so thankful , but I think for new members how nice it would be to find this sight and not have to sort through so much to find the support from the people that know where they're coming from best.

 

[LoyalOne]

I would vote yes, just so we could have a spot where we collected similar stories in one place. I view it as more of an organizational move, and not en exclusionary one. I do agree with Zipper that we can benefit from reading through everyone's stories. However, we are not talking about a private forum. We could all still browse through all the areas and talk to everyone we wanted to; it would just be a move to make searching for particular posts easier. I like the idea.

I read the combat site, btw; I like to hear the vets' points of view. But I get that they need their own place without supporters. So I don't mind that we are here. But we are still dealing with a slightly different set of complexities.

 

[wife of]

It would be amazing, if we got it, to be able to set up posts that contain a plan of action for each of our different countries. In order that people who are coming here new to the situation can find the pathways to the various agencies that can help

 

[May1321]

I agree with all points made above.

For me, I also have found being able to read through the other forms of trauma because I have found the ways people brace themselves to work through it can help, but also, Combat PTSD sometimes is just enhancing maybe past trauma of a sufferer.

I feel the benefit of having a seperate section, however, is a place where we can easily fine information and support specific to Combat PTSD.

I personally struggle sometimes working through and discussing the issues related to being a girlfriend, sister, ex wife of someone with Combat PTSD because though the disorder has it's similarities as someone who was say sexually abused as a child or raped as an adult, I have found that a lot of the disorder with a soldier is more related to survival and actions taken, things they've seen and done to other people. Something that was taught in them by an organization and a choice they made, not something forced upon them by specific people. They are in a way victims of an organization/job, and I may be completely naive but I just don't really feel like our guys/gals are in a victim state of mind which makes what we deal with as supporters of them completely different.

I think that's enough said... I hope you understand what I mean.

 

[anthony]

It will not be happening here.

The future changes already allocate a separate forum for supporters, when all forums are combined using a single login system.

I have never, and I mean never, opened the door to provide special areas to any specific group on this site since its inception, and it has been the one thing often praised about this site, being it doesn't compromise its ethics as a community.

The ethics are: if you create one special area within an area, then you must also do that for every single request followed, because if you do it for one, you must apply equality.

I am not going to break these ethics that this forum has been founded upon.

Supporters are supporters, they have all the requisite topical areas justified that cover the diverse topics. Post within those topics... but I will not split people into groups beyond the outright obvious, either sufferer or supporter.

 

[Army_Brat_88]

I just always put "combat" in my thread title - that way anyone who's issue is not related to anything military can skip it, and ppl who need specifically that can zero in and click away on it.

I think that gets the job done, right?

 

[Srain]

I get what Anthony is saying, there does come a point when we do have to stand to together, but there were some great ideas that I read here. We have some interesting ideas come out of our groups here in our state regarding mental illness and trying to reach different ethnic groups, as well as various disorders ..do you reach out to individual groups or as a whole group, subgroups and how many?..I think it's a fine line.

I realize I just argued both sides in this post :speechless:. But it's a great issue to bring up, I still feel that way. Maybe not to separate but to remember there are large groups with unique identifying issues that bring us all to this site.

I'm glad that you brought it up that you have that going in your thread, Army_Brat_88, I know now and might be able to suggest others can look into it when they are looking for some commonality.

peace,
Rain

 

[wife of]

Ahh that's a shame,given the poll was posted by admin I thought it was a real possibility.....

Would it perhaps be possible to open a section within the current supporters section where people could leave details of particular avenues of help for combat ptsd in thier country could be listed?? Just so that people have a resource list to turn to?

I don't know about other countries but within the uk the limited help that is available is very hard to track down and the various charities etc are not good at signposting people about.