One of the drawbacks here is that members are anonymous, so if someone needs immediate assistance IRL, all we can really do is encourage them to get help. We are not set up to be a crisis service, and have policies that members don't post about suicidal intention or actions here. It isn't fair to the other members who are here to get help too to have to cope with someone needing help that the members are not trained to give and also don't have the resources.

But being anonymous is also good because we can share things that we might not be able to otherwise, and sometimes that makes it easier to then talk about those things in therapy or deal with the problems. Some of us had no idea that there were others so much like us before we came here, and it helps to know that we are not alone. It helps to hear what helps for someone else and what their experience has been like.

It also helps to have the opportunity to help others. If we dwell too much on our own problems then we start to wallow in pity and get completely stuck. Doing something for someone else makes it easier to see the way out for ourselves. But then, there is a balance to be found, as it is easy to get overinvolved with others and avoid dealing with our own stuff.

If you are wondering if members find this helpful, well, some of us have been coming here for years. We must be getting something out of it. I have some really good friends in this online community, and have been able to keep in contact with them even though I move frequently and lose contact with people IRL.

Please read a bit and see how this works, and if you have any more questions ask away.

Rap