First, don't freak out. Many members receive a PM from one of the members of the community team (designated with a "Community Team Member" notation in the forums) -- either a moderator or administrator. Often times it is just to clarify an issue, or let you know some action was taken that affects you.

Realize that the community team is here to protect the membership and community as a whole. You are not being singled out for whatever action or behavior it is that brought you some attention. We're doing this to try and keep the community a positive, supportive environment.

Please, try and take the PM in stride. You may have received a PM because a post or reply you made (or something you did or said in chat) broke our Community Guidelines. Our Guidelines are here so that everyone can get the most from our community. If you act according to the philosophy of "I wouldn't do anything that I wouldn't want done to myself," you'll probably do just fine here. But the PM notes what specifically you did that was against the Community Guidelines, and what action was taken. It also suggests ways to avoid similar action in the future, and what future actions may be taken if it continues.

The PM is not meant as a punishment or to single you out. (In many situations, we send multiple PMs to all parties involved, so no one is singled out.) It's meant to give you concrete information that you can act on in the future to prevent future problems.

You can ignore the advice given in the PM. If a community team member specifically suggests you place another member on Ignore, you're welcomed to ignore that directive. But you do so at the risk of future warnings, which can escalate into an eventual suspension. We don't give advice for the fun of it -- we do so to try and make the community a healthier, better place for all. You included.

Try not to overreact to a PM. I know how easy it is to simply lash out in anger, send a nasty PM reply, or start posting negative, angry stuff on the forums. Don't. This is only going to cause the receipt of more PMs and increase the likelihood of further action. Remember that discussing administrative actions in a PM is against the Community Guidelines.

On very rare occasions, we may suspend a member. If you've been given a 3 day (or more suspension), to either the community in general or the chat rooms, your best strategy is to take time out from the community and reconsider your goals here. Keep in mind that we're here primarily as a support community for folks with mental health concerns. So if you're not here to get or give support for a mental health or related concern, this may not be the best community for you.

Do not create additional membership accounts trying to circumvent the Community Guidelines or a suspension. Such efforts will be discovered, and upon discovery, any additional accounts will be summarily banned.

Thank you for your cooperation in these matters. And just know, 99.9% of members who receive a PM from us have not done anything significantly wrong -- it's just that our method for communicating with members and keeping the community running as smoothly as possible.

DocJohn