Debates, Opinions, & Non-Support Conversations

I realize that this is a mental health support site. I love giving support and have received some of the best support ever on PC.

However, I also enjoy having initelligent debates and conversations, and expressing my opinions on this site. (Such as my recent one on ECT in the psychotherapy forum). A lot of times when this occurs, there comes a reminder that the debate or conversation or whatever, really isn't answering the OP's question and that we should get back to the originial topic. Sometimes I find this disappointing, as I love to state my opinion and learn from others-- especially when enough people have already posted so that the OP's question/concern was answered.

So, I have a question concerning debates, opinions, and non-support conversations-- Should they have designated threads, stating that this is not a support thread? For example, if I pick up on something that is in a thread about ECT that I would like to talk about, should I start my own 'debate' or 'discussion' thread on it? Should there be a separate forum for such? Or is it just not appropriate at all?

It is just that there are so many amazing, intelligent people on this site. I really enjoy learning from others, and hope they can learn from me as well. Sometimes I get disappointed when a good conversation or debate has to get shut down.

I think if you see something worthy of discussion in a thread, you should start a new one for discussion/debate about the issue so the replies are not in response to the person wanting support but to a more generic issue

I agree, it shouldn't overtake someone's thread asking for support.

But I'm always up for a debate. When I want to argue a point with my t I always search journal articles so I have objective data and not talking crap

And it is helpful for people in a supportive way, you get ideas and perspectives on issues that may relate to you that you hadn't considered before. It is always good to have an open mind and hear other opinions

I believe if you have an "alternate" thought to the original thread, unless it is "your" thread in the first place, then you ought to start another one about your additional thoughts. Especially if you and another person are enjoying one another; the two of you can "start over" in another thread and then go wherever you want.

If someone wants an opinion, I think that is just what it is and is not non-supportive just because someone doesn't "like" it. I'm always reminded of the comedian Gallagher who told the story of how a teacher asked his opinion on a paper or test and he gave it and. . . got an "F". An opinion cannot be "wrong", supportive/non-supportive, it just is someone's opinion. I think people posting need to be clear on if they are asking for people's opinion and advice or people's "support".

The biggest felony I see on boards is that people don't realize they are talking one-on-one at all times. If A asks a question/makes a statement, asks for opinion, etc. and B comes along, B is responding to A. It's bad form for C to come along and talk to B in A's thread, especially without frankly stating, "Hey, I'm talking to B here but I know it's A's thread". Threads get muddied because people think a thread is a "group" thing and it's not; one can only talk to one person at a time, one-on-one. B is not going to read/respond to A the same as C is so B getting in C's face for responding "wrong" to A is out of line; that's A's job only.

It used to be that the originator of the thread was the only one who was allowed to change the topic during the thread. I guess we would need to hear from Admin if that is still true or not.

Sometimes others wish to speak to something said that wasn't the original intent, and then I think we are supposed to use OT or say off topic...and hope it flies ok with the originator? Others who see OT should follow suit and then get back onto topic, or not follow the OT path at all, imo.

I think there is not a hard and fast rule to apply to all posts. It depends on how far astray the thread is going and also whether the original poster cares or not. If someone makes a post such as "what do you think about ECT?" then to me it does not sound like a call for support. They just want information and I would think all informed opinions and experiences would be welcome. If, on the other hand, the OP posts "I just had ECT yesterday and I feel great," and people start chiming in "well, you made a big mistake, you will probably suffer permanent memory loss and be less intelligent than before", well, IMO, that is not supportive and should not be in the thread!

So, I think it depends on the situation and the intent of the original post. Use your judgement and if in doubt, PM the poster and ask.

Good question!

There is no hard and fast rules wrt to this topic and I don't want to add the rules we already have (which some already find too many or burdensome).

I would highly recommend it, however, if people who wanted to discuss and or debate (in a respectful and rational manner) a particular mental health topic start their own thread and maybe even mention what spurred the initiative to start it and ensure people know this is a thread to debate, not for support.

I'm all for healthy debate, as long as it is just that -- healthy and people go into it knowing what they're in for possibly (disagreement with one's opinion). Debate should always be about the issues, not about the people arguing them.

So, for example, if you saw someone mention ECT in a thread on therapy or treatments for depression, and it really spurred you on to wanting to discuss ECT's pros and cons more, you should start a thread of that nature -- "ECT's pros and cons."

We should always try and keep in mind the original poster's (OP's) intention and topic when replying to a thread. Sometimes threads trail off into another direction naturally and if the OP is fine with it, so are we... But if the OP is not fine with it, we should always respect their opinion on this matter and get the thread back on topic if we're still participating in it.

Thanks!
DocJohn