I agree that this place is very polarized and cliquey. Lot of wounded people i suppose, looking for allies, and wanting the certainty of knowing who is the "other".

As for meanness, i think anonymous internet sites are a breeding ground for bad behavior and are probably best avoided. I have learned a lot here and received some valuable support but i consider my ongoing participation to be mostly unhealthy and disturbingly compulsive. I will also add that i did not previously hang out in therapy forums. It wasn't until destructive therapy and abrupt termination saddled me with a huge backlog of pent up rage and powerlessness that i came online seeking an outlet.