Introduction+-+Dear+Reader

Dear Reader,

The topic I chose to research was Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I originally intended to focus upon veterans returning from war and how hard it is for them to adjust to life again. The most prominent news stories regarding PTSD often refer to the war wounds that are invisible to us. Through my research, however, I discovered that this disorder can affect people across the lifespan. And to my surprise, children and adolescents can also suffer from this overwhelming disorder. Be it natural disasters, physical and emotion maltreatment, devastating losses, or traumatic accidents, PTSD can be caused by a wide range of events. There is never one road or pathway, it is far more complex.

The first genre encountered is a Wordle, or a splash of different words pertaining to a topic arranged on a page. This was not meant to be a personal entry. In fact, it is similar to what a dictionary definition of PTSD might be in that it is a broad look at the subject. Continuing onto the next genre, you see how teachers and other adults view children suffering from PTSD. This touches upon their concern for how a child’s grades are slipping, and how their behavior has changed. Within both of these genres, however, a particular scenario is never focused upon. In other words, these provide a general view of the issue. The next genre that you will come across is a stream of consciousness. Here, I decided to branch out a bit. Not only did I want to explore the idea of kids suffering from PTSD, I also wanted to write about how they view others, namely a parent, suffering from this disorder. This piece speaks of a father who has recently returned from Iraq and is having difficulties adjusting to everyday life again. This leaves the child worried and confused on why their dad is acting so strangely, thoughts so perfect to study further in a stream of consciousness. Following this is a poem. This genre starts to show the more personal side of PTSD. Although it is not written from the first person point of view, it tells the story of a woman who used to love the rain. After she gets into a car accident because of it, she no longer enjoys storms and gets very anxious when it rains outside. This brings us to my narrative. My narrative is the only genre written in the first person point of view. I chose to put this genre last because it is the most personal by far. It shares the specific story of one character, a young boy, and his own struggle with PTSD. As I wrote these genres, I found myself making each one more and more personal. It was almost as if PTSD was a character and as you delved deeper into my project it was like peeling away a layer at a time.

You may have noticed that my project fails to speak of any success stories concerning PTSD. In fact, I never say what happens to these children as they grow into young adults. The reason behind this is that we don’t know what will happen to them. So few receive the services and care that they need in order to rise above this disorder. Therefore, the road less traveled by would be for educators, policy makers, even the caregivers of these children to make getting them help a priority. In the future, we can only hope that they will.

Sincerely, Emily Moncata