Yes that is so important on the internet and IRL too.

And especially difficult when we are depressed if we isolate, because we may tend to bring our boundries waaaay in (allowing no one to help) and then go overboard and reveal too much when we find the need to reach out.

I think the "step back/deep breath" approach is a good idea. When one is feeling really badly and desparate we may be in a rush for support, so what I like to do is remember that the "step back" time isn't delaying my chance to get support, but rather it is part of it, and as long as I am moving to get help while protecting myself then I am on the right road.

Pat I suffer only from depression so I know that end of it. In one of my groups I befriended a bipolar woman who was going through a prolonged depressive period, I connected to her because the way she was describing her depression was the same way I described mine.

It was good to have someone who not only understood but was on the same page (this was in therapy so we were both getting help) and to be able to work toward wellness together and "compare notes" (one has to be careful doing that, of course, since people respond differently to things).