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Topic Tuesday // Supporting someone dealing with PTSD // Tues. 27 Feb. 7pm - 9pm AEDT

Unknown userMember18 Jan 2018, 11:19 am AEDT

Topic Tuesday // Supporting someone dealing with PTSD // Tues. 27 Feb. 7pm - 9pm AEDT

This Topic Tuesday we'll be focusing on supporting someone experiencing PTSD. Our special guest @DeanYates will be talking from his own first hand experience of PTSD - how it developed, his symptoms, what helped and what didn't.

Dean Yates, 49, has been a journalist, bureau chief and editor for Reuters, the international news service, for 25 years. He has reported extensively on war, conflict and natural disasters in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. While the Reuters bureau chief in Baghdad in 2007, three of Dean’s Iraqi staff were killed, two by a U.S. Apache helicopter.

Dean was diagnosed with PTSD in March 2016. He spent five weeks in the Ward 17 psychiatric unit at Melbourne’s Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital in Aug-Sept 2016. He was readmitted for three weeks in July 2017. Besides PTSD, Dean has moral injury.

Since May 2017, Dean has been head of journalist mental health and wellbeing strategy at Reuters, a newly created position for the company’s 2,600 staff around the world.

Below are some of the articles published about Dean's experience. Please be aware that some of the content in the links below could be triggering as they talk in detail about the distressing experiences Dean had during his time as a journalist.

In November 2016, Reuters published Dean’s account of his battle with PTSD. Click here

The ABC did this story on Dean in July 2017.

Columbia Journalism Review did a profile on Dean in this November 2017 story.

Join us from 7pm AEDT, Tuesday 27 Feb.

Hit the 'Like' button below to get an email reminder on the night.

115 replies

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In response to: Topic Tuesday // Supporting someone dealing with PTSD // Tues. 27 Feb. 7pm - 9pm AEDT

AdgeSenior Contributor27 Feb 2018, 8:55 pm AEDT

Re: Topic Tuesday // Supporting someone dealing with PTSD // Tues. 27 Feb. 7pm - 9pm AEDT

Thanks so much @DeanYates For sharing your experiences, & what helped you. Also your insights & suggestions.

Thanks @Former-Member & @NikNik heaps for organising things.

Adge

In response to: Topic Tuesday // Supporting someone dealing with PTSD // Tues. 27 Feb. 7pm - 9pm AEDT

NikNikSenior Contributor27 Feb 2018, 8:56 pm AEDT

Re: Topic Tuesday // Supporting someone dealing with PTSD // Tues. 27 Feb. 7pm - 9pm AEDT

Hi everyone,

Just letting you know that we have about 5 mins left.

Nik

In response to: Topic Tuesday // Supporting someone dealing with PTSD // Tues. 27 Feb. 7pm - 9pm AEDT

DeanYatesSenior Contributor27 Feb 2018, 8:56 pm AEDT

Re: Topic Tuesday // Supporting someone dealing with PTSD // Tues. 27 Feb. 7pm - 9pm AEDT

Hi @Former-Member
I was lucky because my wife wanted to be part of my journey. She has wanted to share it with me. I could not have done it without her.

My view is spouses/partners need to be part of any recovery plan. It's not going to truly work otherwise. And try to find a psych/therapist willing to work with both people. I always say this to folks. Ward 17 engaged my wife, they spoke to her.

In response to: Topic Tuesday // Supporting someone dealing with PTSD // Tues. 27 Feb. 7pm - 9pm AEDT

Unknown userMember27 Feb 2018, 8:56 pm AEDT

Re: Topic Tuesday // Supporting someone dealing with PTSD // Tues. 27 Feb. 7pm - 9pm AEDT

Thank you @DeanYates

In response to: Topic Tuesday // Supporting someone dealing with PTSD // Tues. 27 Feb. 7pm - 9pm AEDT

Phoenix_RisingSenior Contributor27 Feb 2018, 8:57 pm AEDT

Re: Topic Tuesday // Supporting someone dealing with PTSD // Tues. 27 Feb. 7pm - 9pm AEDT

Hi @Adge,

I'm a bit late to the party tonight and I'm just reading through the thread now. I have not heard of psychologists being reluctant to do EMDR with complex trauma. It's odd that you have encountered that.

Something else you said caught my eye - you said that you weren't aware of your clients at work having PTSD. My understanding is that you work with people with intellectual disabilities, is that right? I think there is an absolute dearth of understanding or support for people with ID, when it comes to mental illness. That is, any behaviours these people exhibit tend to be put down to the ID rather than considering they may be struggling with mental health issues. I mean, if someone has spent most of their life in group homes etc. perhaps not always receiving optimum care and perhaps has difficulty communicating, I think it is highly probable that they have some trauma related issues. Do you have any thoughts about that?

In response to: Topic Tuesday // Supporting someone dealing with PTSD // Tues. 27 Feb. 7pm - 9pm AEDT

SoozasaurCasual Contributor27 Feb 2018, 8:59 pm AEDT

Re: Topic Tuesday // Supporting someone dealing with PTSD // Tues. 27 Feb. 7pm - 9pm AEDT

Thank you all, especially @DeanYates. It has been very informative and helpful. Very much appreciated:)

In response to: Re: Topic Tuesday // Supporting someone dealing with PTSD // Tues. 27 Feb. 7pm - 9pm AEDT

AdgeSenior Contributor27 Feb 2018, 8:59 pm AEDT

Re: Topic Tuesday // Supporting someone dealing with PTSD // Tues. 27 Feb. 7pm - 9pm AEDT

Yes that's an important point @DeanYates

My ex-wife was very much against my going into therapy (Psychologist), she did not believe in any form of therapy.

Adge

In response to: Topic Tuesday // Supporting someone dealing with PTSD // Tues. 27 Feb. 7pm - 9pm AEDT

DeanYatesSenior Contributor27 Feb 2018, 9:00 pm AEDT

Re: Topic Tuesday // Supporting someone dealing with PTSD // Tues. 27 Feb. 7pm - 9pm AEDT

So glad everyone could join. I'll get to the remaining questions. But let me finish by saying this: Loved ones can help someone with PTSD by really being there, by trying to understand what the sufferer is going through, by offering support and love. By encouraging the sufferer to talk and share. Tell the person you are on this journey with them, that they are not alone.

In response to: Topic Tuesday // Supporting someone dealing with PTSD // Tues. 27 Feb. 7pm - 9pm AEDT

HillsyContributor27 Feb 2018, 9:02 pm AEDT

Re: Topic Tuesday // Supporting someone dealing with PTSD // Tues. 27 Feb. 7pm - 9pm AEDT

Apparently he was a member of the facebook page but at the time there was quite a bit of complaining which he didn't find helpful, so he left the group. He is in touch with a couple of the guys he met, one of which has gone back in. He did get in touch with Ward 17 but they directed him to other health professionals (it was over New Year so the ward closed down I think). He does see his psychologist and psychiatrist regularly though now. My gut feeling is the meds they have him on at the moment are not working. I am gently suggesting he go back to Ward17 but it needs to be once he is ready

In response to: Re: Topic Tuesday // Supporting someone dealing with PTSD // Tues. 27 Feb. 7pm - 9pm AEDT

DeanYatesSenior Contributor27 Feb 2018, 9:05 pm AEDT

Re: Topic Tuesday // Supporting someone dealing with PTSD // Tues. 27 Feb. 7pm - 9pm AEDT

Thanks @Hillsy
Yes, there are two competing groups -- one large and well established, the other much smaller. The one I'd recommend is Ward 17 Family.

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