Good subject, Pegasus. One that I've been thinking about lately too.

While I believe there is a lot of positive support here (wouldn't be here otherwise), I know that there is a lot of information here that some teens may not have been exposed to already.

I personally don't go into the Eating Disorders or Self Injury areas because I'm too easily influenced by reading about it. I have DID and bulimia and cutting really appeals to some of the more angry parts. It is not something that I want to start doing now at age 36. So, I stay out of there.

When I was 12 years old and severely depressed, I wanted to commit suicide. I didn't know how, so I read about someone else's story and copied them. When I was really angry at age 17, I read an article about how damaging anorexia and bulimia can be and tried both for a few months. Lucky for me, I graduated and moved out to go to college and wasn't being controlled anymore, so the behavior stopped (it practically had to stop because I Love Food!).

My point is this--while some teens are able to handle information well and would receive support from the members here, other teens may not be able to speak out or filter out what really helps versus harms.

I also know that when I'm posting about the really dark, difficult issues and I have a teen respond with empathy, sympathy, or support, I feel as if it was inappropriate for me to share because I would not share that information with a teen in real life. I know that I am not responsible for the effects of what I share with another adult, but I do feel responsible for the effects of what I share with a teen.

I think a separate site for teens is a great idea. Perhaps it could be open for members from PC to go in and post for support without posting too graphically about their own experiences. Sort of a toned-down version of PC where the adults who are there are only present to give support, not to work out their own issues.

Elizabeth