[annie]

i am grateful to docjohn for allowing us to be guests on his forum. i am also grateful to be able to go home.

the description at the bottom of this page says that it is a mental health forum. the description at the bottom of OBT says that it is a patient support group for neurology. radically different philosophies, i think.

my problems are mostly neurological. these are problems that i am stuck with, they cannot be changed by changing my thoughts or my emotions. perhaps i could cope better with my problems with the aid of mental health counseling, but i have to choose how i spend my energy carefully, and i always choose to have fun instead.

on this site i have been scolded for being silly, for talking about hugs and chocolate, for being off topic. i have been required to post icons, which trigger seizures for me. these triggered seizures can be life threatening.

the guidelines here require and forbid things that are difficult for the physically handicapped. many neurology patients are physically handicapped. for example, we have been asked not to post recipe threads in regular forums. cooking with a neurological problem presents interesting challenges, and it is important for us to share solutions.

a great many posters here are more comfortable with the solving mental health problems format than they were with the solving neurology problems format. obviously there is a need for the mental health board, and i am grateful to doc john for providing it.

i never had any problems with the moderators on OBT.

i will continue to read here, to keep up with friends, and probably will still post serious posts.

but i am going home where i can be silly and cheerful and not have to post icons.

thank you for having me as a guest.

[Snoopy]

This is what it says at the bottom of the page - Please note it DOES NOT say THIS is a mental health forum - it says BROUGHT TO YOU BY....

Brought to you by the fine folks who publish mental health and psychology information at Psych Central • Mental Health Forums


In most cases Neurology and Mental health go hand in hand. Even if you don't have a neurological problem any serious illness can cause mental health issues or at least be a secondary problem.

OBT also has mental health forums and I assume you don't have a problem with that - I guess what your saying really doesn't make sense to me. If you are not happy with this forum then you have every right to seek support elsewhere and I'm sure everyone will understand.

I see humor used quite a bit in the forums here.

[Ellie]

Annie,

Thank you for your feedback and for being so honest. I'd like to point out though that while some guidelines are in place, they are all open for discussion and they are very new. The ability to discuss these is what gives Doc John the information he needs to be able to make changes, he has made posts regarding these topics asking for feedback so he can build this site to better cater to it's members.

(Edited out my quote since Snoopy types faster than I do!)

Regarding the trigger icon, you do not have to use it. You can simply just type it into the Title/Subject if it is needed.

Furthermore, the discussion of chocolate has not been banned - neither have hugs! If I recall correctly, there was a more 'heated' discussion regarding the 'happy' behavior, which was done in this area of the forums - not the Epilepsy forum in particular. You were not 'scolded' by a moderator or an administrator for being silly, but as mentioned - I believe I know which discussion you are talking about, and I know that some members do not fancy certain personalities - that is their personal opinion(s) which they are allowed to have, just as you are allowed to have yours. Personal attacks are certainly not allowed, and I will do my best along with the other moderators to make sure this does not happen to you or anyone else here. I am one of the moderators in the Epilepsy forum and I am content with off-topic discussions, however, just adding something simple to the post title such as "OT - Recipes" would be nice. Some members only want to read more medical-related issues, and I'd like to respect their wishes. Some would like to read more casual discussions, and having a pretty straight forward subject line available would make it easier for all members to find what they are looking for.

Off-topic discussions are certainly allowed (as you can see by viewing various areas of this website), but it is encouraged that users are aware that some content may offend others. There are many areas of this website which are designated specifically for certain topics such as humor, etc. - But some things are more condition related (like recipes that avoid triggers) which is why I would be ok to see them in the Epilepsy Forum (if given a "Title Tag").

I do hope you stay around, and your cheer helps many people here (myself included). Please remember the only way the doc is going to know what members would like to see here is by them expressing their concerns to him. I am sure he'd be happy to handle the topic regarding triggers and the icon and use of it. I do not think anyone would want to cause you a seizure or force you to use this icon, just typing a small message should do fine.

Everything is still fairly new, and I am sure many changes will happen in order to have everything in it's place to make sure people are happy and comfortable. But things like this take time.

Thank you again for posting this and being honest, it is appreciated.

*Hugs*

Ellie

[DocJohn]

I appreciate your time on this community, as well as your feedback. I also think you misunderstood some of the results of discussions we had while we were in the midst of formulating things here... For instance, we decided that as long as you noted the material inside the post could be triggering (with the words, for instance, "possible trigger" or the like), that was fine -- no icon needed.

I'm glad the Internet is large enough to host communities which are administered openly and others where people are used to the style of administration. We're happy to continue our work here with the support of the thousand+ members who've already chosen to make themselves at home here. Thank you!

John

[Doody]

I think everyone else here just about covered your issues Annie.

Braintalk really isn't any different, is it? (Except for the harsh moderation that was felt by some). It's a neurological community, but it has tons of forums that are not neurologically related in the least bit.

I remember a couple of people here getting uptight about hugs and choccies, but no mention of it causing problems for others. I've seen plenty of people get uptight at Braintalk as well over similar, silly issues. If I had known you were having problems with someone giving you grief over some chocolate or a hug, I would have come in and had a full-out love-in with ya complete with chocolate, flowers, hugs, and well who knows! Dancing too!

I know what you mean though...in another place and time I've had my hands slapped for getting too silly, and of course it offended someone who took it too seriously.

They've also discussed at Braintalk about using OT threads.

And I specifically remember Doc telling us that we could have recipe threads, that was fine, in fact...the first few days I watched this place, Doc and the admins fell all over themselves attending to requests and suggestions. Forums that were asked for went up immediately. Questions were answered readily.

If Doc pulls down the shades and turns off the porch light, then I'll go. (Thanks for that JoJo)

[trekker]

Dear Annie,

I am one of the people that has benefited from getting to know you here, please stay. We need your joy and intellectual input. I think you also suggested what could be another forum here. How people develop coping strategies with their disabilities would be, I think, an invaluable tool. How about suggesting it to DocJohn...something like Recipes and Cooking Solutions?

I will be posting on OBT too but did not involve myself in the Epilepsy or aneurysm forums because I felt like an interloper....asking dumb questions to people who may have been tired of hearing them. This forum started us all at a more even level I felt. My DH can't talk and so he can't tell me the things I need to know, or would like to know so I can make his days the best ones that I can. Hopefully, since we have been on this road for 22 years I can also contribute once in a while.