I'm new and I've been reading through the forums for a bit now. Something that came up in my thoughts was how forums such as these can affect a person and whatever their issue may be. As I browse through, I'm constantly wondering things such as:

Does this person really have this problem at all, or is it simply a made-up self-aware cry for attention?

If not fake, how much exaggeration, if any, is in this post?

Should younger users (I just read something by a 14 year old, who got a reply from a 13 year old) be bringing their problems to the internet?

How many of these users see this community as a "release" or possibly see this community as their only social life? And is that healthy?

Is a lot of time spent on these forums a sign of social or personal issues, or are we still "normal" in society?

Pretty much, does the PsychCentral community promote or aid some people in falling deeper into their problems rather than actually fixing them? What do you think about this (and the prior questions)?

Also, for those of you who are therapists, how often do questions such as these come up when working with a patient? I'm only 20 and am studying psychology right now. I'm not quite sure what I want my concentration to be, but clinical work is definitely an option. I'm worried that if I can't trust what the patient has to say, then I might not be able to help the patient to my fullest capacity.

***I'd also like to note, for the moderators and anyone else whom it may concern, I have no intention in this post to "trash talk" or belittle PsychCentral. These are just thoughts that came up in my mind as I was reading through the posts and I was curious what others thought.