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Perna said:
Are you going to post anyway, knowing the paranoia isn't real?

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I'll post times when i don't think i have anything of interest or value to say/can't think of what to say aside because tendency to paranoia aside without involvement in forums such as this i'd feel even more isolated than i already am.

Recently i was put forward for a 'befriending' service which is a means of trying to reduce isolation for people with mental illness and to encourage social activities.
A 'befriender's' role is described [http://www.goodcompanions.org.uk/role.htm]here[/url]

"Role Description

‘To act as a companion to someone who may be feeling isolated and lonely as a consequence of their mental ill health, supporting them in social and leisure activities’


One of the problems i have is i find it hard to interact with others on a face to face basis and indeed the majority of my 'face to face' interaction occurs via three 2 hours or so groups via the mh centre and the weekly visit to see my brother and mother.
I have never found it easy to make friends even from when i was young .
Aside from those i tend to only see other people in passing ie in the lift or when out shopping.
Indeed if i get into one of my 'I don't want to go out the door/don't feel like getting dressed' frames of mind it can be several days before i see or hear from another person(ubiquitous telephone cold callers aside).
Indeed many an extended weekend period i've been totally isolated for 3-4 days.

Occasionally i phone my father in Charlotte but usually he diverts me to my step mum who can speak 200 words a minute without drawing for breath.
I also occasionally phone my mother and brother but the conversations are usually very short ie couple of minutes or so.

My mother phones me occasionally and my father very occasionally. In my mother's case it's more often or not to ask that i come over on a different day that week or to ask that i get X Y Z etc for her. She almost never just phones to see how i am doing.

I have very little contact with my sister either face to face/phone/or email wise.

Though i can find it hard at times to cope emotionally with forum interactions and sometimes retreat into isolation/going to cut myself off mode it's comparatively easier than face to face interactions and does alibi in a virtual way reduce the social isolation a little though how much is variable.