Quote:
Originally Posted by iLLuMiNaTi
...the key word being "wondering". I'm not bashing anything just asking myself some questions.
How does one make proper use of the chat? Typically, there are few people connected (to be expected, that's not some gaming forum with massive active userbase) and most people who are connected actually are afk.
OK I haven't beed showing up at the busiest times. But still.
Then, people will tell you that "the coffeehouse is for light hearted conversation only" and "any serious MH related topic is to be discussed in the ES chat".
You aren't without knowing that there's barely ever anyone in that ES chat. (Even "light hearted discussions" in the main chat are scarce for that matter...)
Now when one connects to psychcentral, typically it the matter at hand is somewhat related to mental health (...) and if I want conversations completely unrelated to mental health, i know where to go and that would be some general banter or gaming forum, not psych central.
That makes me think of what the purpose of the PC chat really is. The whole website is mental health related but the chat is not because 'MH-related matters are to be discussed in the ES section', where there is typically no one. It is then de facto a MH-free chat within a MH-centered website....
Is it intentional that proper mental health-related matters virtually can't be discussed in the chat (ofc, with the exception of some few times when you're lucky and someone actually is connected and willing to) while the whole website exists so that people may discuss mental health?
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my views mental health isnt just about mental disorders so to me it is find to have a chat system that includes separate "rooms" for discussing different things / different topics and still leaves space "room" for those who may be having a problem and need to chat with someone right away (not in a peers acting like each other are each others treatment providers but as someone who has gone through or has that problem too.)
though I rarely use chat (moves too fast for me ) I think of the coffeehouse like getting together with a friend over a cup of coffee, joking around taking a break from lifes problems including the harder discussions about mental illness, which can help a person feel better about their self and their life mentally. example if I was having a dissociative problem and I needed to clear my head and take a break from it I would use the coffeehouse.
ES description is right on for me, its for discussing any physical or mental health disorders, diseases, problems related to them a member may have or need information about. example if I was having a problem with my MS (a physical health problem) or my Dissociation problems (mental health problem) and wanted to not wait for someone to reply to me on the boards I can see who is online and invite them into ES chat where I can talk about my dissociative problem and the friend can tell me about their relating to this problem and brain storm ideas on how to handle it until I can get in to see my treatment provider, or maybe Im just having a really bad day and need someone to talk to about what went wrong today venting but not want to trigger anyone else on the boards so if I choose to I can invite someone into ES chat and vent away about my horrid day and how its messing with me emotionally or physically.
I think of the Auditorium like going to a lecture, concert or workshop where someone has a chat going for a specific reason and topics. example Doc John does a chat where members can ask him questions about mental health issues. like if I didnt know what dissociation was I could go to doc johns question and answer chats and say to him ok what exactly is dissociation and he can answer that question in general terms of what dissociation is.
the adult chat is for adult non sexual topics.. adults go through things mentally and physically that teens and young teens do not. outside of the internet if you listen to a couple adults talking and listen to a couple teens taking you will see that teens are talking about vastly different things then adults do.