Hi folks,

I would like to say something about the sense of belonging that we get from being in a support forum.

Lots of us will remember what it was like trying to fit in with regular people, while all the time we are having these 'different' feelings of panic, mood changes, all that stuff. People would blame us for our behaviour, and the only time any of my childhood friends talked about 'panic' was when they were strapped into a fairground ride! (and even then they were enjoying it)

All the credibility, at school, socially, in the workplace, everywhere, was about being cool and calm, and being a winner. There was no place in the vocabulary for the experiences we share here at PC.

Over the last year, I have read so many posts, about all sorts of experiences, and emotional and psychological problems that we deal with, and I have understood pretty much every one. It is a familiar landscape.

Regular people think that this landscape is all frightening, and one 3d friend said "why do you go to a depression forum, that'll just make you more depressed." He was so wrong, and he was talking the distancing talk of regular people.

When we already have the symptoms, there is nothing frightening at all in finding a community that can reflect them as a common struggle.

Above all else, I would say that the sharing of common experiences is a most powerful tonic for us sufferers and long may we continue to share.

Cheers, M