Veterans with PTSD, Online Support, and Anonymity

Recently it has been brought to my attention that more people would join in discussion if they could be anonymous.  When I brought up people can comment on this website and is can be anonymous, I was told that the name field was required.  This is true.  BUT...you don't have to put your real name.  You could put "A Concerned Veteran" if you felt like it.  I say this because there was an incident recently where someone put their real name on a post and after posting it, he realized what he had written could potentially get back to family.  He asked me to delete it and I expeditiously obliged.

In this day and age, social media and online connectivity provides us with the unique opportunity to reach out for help and reach out to give it.  A desire for privacy is the one part of the equation that is missing in this country.  A little while back I learned about a website in Britain called the Big White Wall.  I encourage you to look over this site.  It provides true anonymity to those who are looking for support online.  This is what we need more of in this country.  I am hopeful that the new initiative being taken by the VA and Volunteers of America will have a positive impact, but they specialize in real world services.  The real challenge is creating an online presence that veterans with PTSD can trust to maintain their privacy.  Facebook is definitely NOT it.

If you were to create an online service for veterans with PTSD, aside from anonymity, what other services would you offer?  Feedback in this area is really important if we want to be able to really make a difference for those veterans who are reaching out online.  I really encourage people to leave comments so we can discuss this.

Yours in Health,

Max Harris