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Online Support for Abuse VictimsPatientsLikeMe Helps Survivors Who Have PTSD, Depression and Anxiety
PatientsLikeMe (PLM) is a website that has a mood community where abuse victims and others can find support from peers with PTSD, depression, and other mood disorders.
When victims and survivors of abuse need help and support from people who have similar backgrounds and issues, they can turn to online support groups and resources like the Mood Community at PatientsLikeMe. While PatientsLikeMe, often abbreviated as PLM by its members, is not exclusive to victims of abuse, the nature of the community has attracted a number of abuse survivors who look to each other for support for their mood disorders. Who Can Join the PLM Mood Community?The Mood Community at PatientsLikeMe is designed for people who have various mood disorders, diagnosed and undiagnosed. The community opened in March 2008 and is still fine-tuning many of its features, but at the time of this writing, there are 11 basic categories that members can choose from as the primary reason for their membership:
Many abuse victims and survivors struggle with one or more of these issues, and can find support and commiseration from people with similar backgrounds. In addition, PLM offers membership to treatment providers and caregivers of Mood Community members. Any Mood Community member can invite caregivers to become a part of their online Care Team. Features of the Mood Community at PatientsLikeMeMember forums are the primary way that PLM members can communicate with one another. The forums have several administrators, but are basically unmoderated except to address violations of the PLM Terms of Use. Members can also contact each other by leaving profile comments or by writing private messages. Each member has a "badge" that is displayed underneath his or her name whenever he or she makes a forum post. This badge contains information to help others understand any other member at any given time: age, gender, a graphical summary of current symptom severity, and whatever option was selected for each member's primary complaint. In addition, the background image of each badge changes color based on the member's Instant Mood. Patient Search Under the "Patients" tab, members can search for other patients by Age, Location, Username, Treatment, and Symptoms. This can be very helpful for members who want to ask questions of people who may be on the same medications, like Ativan, or who suffer from some of the same symptoms, such as nightmares or uncontrollable crying. Instant Mood The Instant Mood tool allows members to rate their mood as Very Good, Good, Bad, and Very Bad throughout the day as often as they wish. The tool produces graphs to depict mood patterns based on day of the week and by time of day. Member badges change color from light blue (Very Good) to dark blue (Very Bad) based on the last recorded Instant Mood, giving context to forum posts at a glance. Mood Map The Mood Map is a three-page series of questions that members fill out on a weekly basis, or even a daily basis if they wish. Answers to these questions track each member's level of functioning and distress over time. Distress is measured in several areas: Depression, Mania, Emotional, Anxiety, Compulsion, Physical, and External. Symptoms The Symptoms tab allows members to track how they are affected by Life Disruptions and Physical Symptoms. Life Disruptions are evaluated through the Mood Map, and include Sleep, Energy, Appetite, and Sex Drive. Physical Symptoms that are evaluated with the Mood Map include Back Pain, Dizziness, Headaches, Hyperventilation, Muscle Tension, Nausea, Problems Concentrating, and Muscle Pain. Additional Symptoms is a subpage that allows members to list any other symptoms they are experiencing that are not addressed through the Mood Map. There is a searchable list of symptoms in alphabetical order, ranging from Migraine or Cough to Insomnia or Suicidal Ideation. Treatments The Treatments tab allows members to keep track of Prescriptions, Supplements, Therapy, and Other treatments they may be utilizing to treat their mood disorders and other symptoms. Members can keep track of dosages and other changes; by comparing treatment changes with both the Mood Map and other symptoms, members can help identify whether or not certain treatments are working for them. Openness as PLM PhilosophyPatientsLikeMe was founded on the concept of openness. Their website information and privacy policy are frank about how they use data collected from their members. The website tries to make certain that members understand that their anonymous data may be shared with trusted healthcare partners for research purposes. Members may choose to keep their personal information available only to other PLM members, or they may choose to allow their information, including their member profile, to be publicly searchable and accessible. Because openness is a core value of PLM, members also feel free to be open and honest in the forums, whether they choose to make their information public or not. Members frequently participate in frank discussions about medications, side effects, physical symptoms, problems at work and home, and how the past affects the present. Overall, members are very supportive of each other, regardless the topic of conversation. Abuse survivors who have trouble talking about their abuse history out loud may find it easier to talk about it online, knowing they can navigate away from the discussion with a click of the mouse at any time if they get uncomfortable. Additional Resources
The copyright of the article Online Support for Abuse Victims in Abuse is owned by Christina Gleason. Permission to republish Online Support for Abuse Victims in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Comments
Aug 12, 2008 12:46 PM
Abuso Emocional :
1 Comment:
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