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? i dare say if someone is just crying for attention that a mental health site would not be their first selection.
If not fake, how much exaggeration, if any, is in this post?
exaggeration: does it matter if that person is suffering?
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? sometimes in real life that young person may have no interested party to confide to. i'm sure if something brought up was terribly serious the site administrators would reach out to help that young person. i would view facebook, e.g., a far unhealthier place for a young person to cry out for help. i often times suggest to the young person to go to their school counselor.
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?
venting /release at the site can be beneficial even if one has no physical contact with members. i've done it a few times myself. we members develop a number of good pc friends. they know/understand our issues or concerns over time. pc serves as an additional outlet to us for supporting or offering suggestions. i know helping others always comes back 10 fold to me.
...as their only social life: many members have physical disabillities or MI where they are confined or feel confined.
Is a lot of time spent on these forums a sign of social or personal issues, or are we still "normal" in society? can you describe "normal" for me?
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)? I can only speak for myself. it has helped me in more ways than i can say. for the most part i don't experience symptoms of my bipolar. i don't drink anymore, 21 years and still attend AA. i still go to therapy but not as often-CBT. my contribution is usually to offer suggestions to ppl who have difficulty in these areas or ACOA. it's so rewarding to see these people benefit from our suggestions and get on with their life more contented.
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.your training will help you in that respect. also, the client "owns" their own therapy. the only way you can help them is if they want to be helped. a therapist bonding trust with the client helps make this possible.
***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.