[OrangeJello]

OK, I'm skiddish. I'll admit it. I'm new to using online support groups, and I'm not sure yet if it's for me or if this is the right one. I'm being told by my therapist sister to look around and ask questions of other community members. Is anyone willing to share what benefits they get from participating in this online community group, or what they don't like? I'd really appreciate your feedback (guess I learned one of the benefits already!).

[jacq10]

Hi Orange Jello!
First of all, welcome to pc!
I think you've stumbled upon a really good place! PC is good for a lot of things! There are so many, SO many good people on here who always are willing to lend an ear or offer advice. Not only that, but you are able to read what other people write. I'm sure you will be able to find situations that you can relate to, and so you can learn from other people, and read other people's comments as well. If you can put an effort into visiting once and a while, and offering your advice to other people, you will surely get responses to your posts.
Hope you decide to stay around!
Jacqueline

Yes, I, too, have found this site beneficial. Not only do you get to learn from other people's experiences, but you can pose questions or problems you are having & get feedback.

Just read until you feel comfortable to post. There are many different topics, as well as a place where the consumers rate the different medications & tell about any side effects experienced or if it helped.--Suzy

[pegasus]

Hello Orange Jello!

Welcome to Psych Central!

The benefits of Community Boards -

It's good to talk and share with other people who may be having problems just like you.

And in sharing with how you feel that helps other people too.

It is sort of self-help for when you feel you need help or need to talk and it's good to know you are not alone with any problems that you have.

I do recommend seeking professional help as well.

Hi!

Before I came here, I was a weary traveler, carrying a heavy load that I was only beginning to share with my T. The weight of my baggage was beyond my friends comprehension and way too heavy for them to carry. They didn't know how to help lighten the load and I didn't know how to ask, nor was I willing to share. Too much shame.

When I stumbled into PC I was lost and alone with my troubles. I was about to break under the weight but the good people here gave me a place to rest. I was able to unload some of the pain, little by little.

Not only did people understand me, they welcomed me without judgment and let me tell my story. A story I had kept locked up inside my baggage my whole life.

Me and my stuff had finally found a place to fit in. I found validation.

Welcome to PC!

Petunia

[Rapunzel]

I found people who are like me, some who had overcome the problems I was dealing with, giving me hope, and others who could learn from my experience, so my mistakes didn't just go to waste.

I found friends who accept me and encourage me, and don't forget me when I move away. This is a big one since I don't have a hometown and I've moved twice since finding this community, so it gives me stability.

There is a lot more too, but those are some of the biggest ones for me. Welcome! And feel free to read and get to know us. Thanks for speaking up about being here. It is nice to have the opportunity to know our new members. It really is a family here, and you will be as much a part of it as you choose to be.

Rap

hey. have posted at a couple of online support groups.

one of the reasons why i post is because other people post things that i can relate to. that helps me feel less alone. another is that i find it easier to get up the courage to share thoughts / feelings / actions that are hard for because of the anonymity. i've found that everytime i've posted something like that someone else could relate. that helps me feel less alone and less ashamed / embarrassed. that helps me a lot.

another reason is that i've found i can actually help people and helping people helps me feel better about myself. that i can do something worthwhile. i post to say that i can relate to people and i post advice and bits as well. just saying 'i'm sorry you are feeling so bad i hope you feel better soon' can be nice for someone to hear.

another reason is that over time i've gotten to know people off boards. i communicate with people i've met on boards by email, over the phone, and in a couple of cases i've met them in person too. i really feel like i've made some friends on the boards.

another reason is that at this board i used to post at i learned a lot about conflict resolution. there was a board that was for processing admin issues and i enjoyed being part of the process there for a time.

another reason is that people can be valuable sources of informtion. if you are wondering about medication or about what this rash might be etc. you need to take things with a grain of salt because you don't know who these people are but as you get to know them over time you get a better idea of who to trust etc.

unfortunately i'm unable to post links to other sites on this board (that is one of the rules of this site)
unfortunately i'm unable to post about what i don't like about posting on this board (that is another one of the rules of this site)

if you suggest changes then sometimes that is perceived as your running down the ways things are currently done etc etc...

i just mean to say that you likely won't get that second part of your question answered (i.e., you won't get balanced responses) on the boards.

take care.

though i guess it is probably okay to talk very generally about boards in general rather than anything specific to this board.

one issue can be the online dishinibition effect. the upside of that one is that people feel anonymous so they share more. they might disclose intimate things that they never would irl. the downside of that one is that people may become angrier / more hostile on boards than they would be in person (maybe because they would be too terrified of being thumped irl). there is the potential for older men to pretend to be young teens and so forth. i really do think that you get a pretty good idea of people over time, however. i post a lot. if you post to someone nearly everyday then you get a pretty good idea of their personality and their moods etc. sometimes people do 'flame' though which is when people post very hostile or attacking posts. that can be hard to take sometimes. different boards have different ways they deal with that. some boards 'move' posts they don't like to the trash. some boards block a poster from posting for a certain amount of time etc. there can be conflict on boards over admin actions sometimes...

it is much harder to assess the tone of peoples posts. you don't really know if the person was smiling and joking when they said that or whether they were scowling and meant it to express genuine disapproval. because there are less cues (body language, facial expression, pitch and volume of voice) and because it takes a while to get to know people there is the potential for people to project onto others. e.g., some people go around thinking that everyone is picking on them (they project their fear onto other people). it can be hard when you attempt to post something caring and helpful and it feels like the person threw it back in your face. i've learned to take a deep breath and try and go 'their issue' and try and walk away. not take it personally. but it can be hard sometimes yeah. i know i've really misunderstood other people at times too.

downside... one poster on this other board who i used to post and chat to quite a bit... he killed himself. that was a bit hard. fortunately it was verified to my satisfaction. but posters sometimes do disappear / stop posting. and they are anonymous. so mostly there is no way to check that they are okay unless you have their number of whatever. it can be hard for some people to not know what has happened. especially if the person has been posting about how depressed they have been etc.

there is also this little problem that some people have of spending more and more and more and more time on boards and withdrawing from friends and relationships in their real lives.

i'm a bit of an internet addict ;-)

but i get something out of it sometimes.

balance is good i guess.

[sunrise]

Welcome, OJ! I am very new here myself, but people have been very welcoming. I felt free to jump right into some of the threads and post. And people responded to what I had to say. I did not feel like I was a "newbie" and not being acknowledged.

My favorite forum is this one, on Psychotherapy. I find hearing about other people's experiences in therapy can help me figure out what is going on in my own sessions. I also like to get ideas for different approaches to stumbling blocks in therapy and ideas for what works. It's also really interesting to read about the diversity of people's therapy experiences and therapists. Sometimes when I read people having the same difficulties I am, it makes me feel not so alone, like hey, maybe this is part of a common experience and I am not failing at this after all.

I would find it hard to find these things outside an online forum. I don't think any of my friends go for therapy, or if they do, we really wouldn't talk about it. Too personal.

Again, welcome!

sunny

[(JD)]

You have found the best online support site on the web IMO. Feeling safe to open up a bit to members, even privately in PM or a chat helps I think, in not feeling like you have to hold everything in and deal with it alone.

Hearing how others also experienced the same thing, and how they came through it or continue to work with it, helps you to determine how you might also work through something.

TC!

[Soidhonia]

Hello and welcome to Psych Central. I feel this site is very informative regarding a lot of issues, not just mental health issues but life issues as well. I feel this site is very accomodating and I hope in time you will feel the same way and feel safe enough to get the support you seek here. Take care good to have you here at Psych Central. Take care sincerely Soidhonia

Basically there are thoughts are feelings that I am as yet unable to contain. I need a place to put them. Yes I journal but at times I need feedback, maybe assurence that I am alive? As others have said, people that aren't on a healing journal do not "get it". I post here because ((you)) all "get it". I also understand that something I may say maybe of help to someone else, just like things others say is off help to me. My reasons and needs for using online communities have changed as I change. Maybe 1 day I won't use them.

[Perna]

I like practicing sharing myself in written form (a strength of mine) where I can pay attention to my words and get things "right" and also where no one can see me and I can't get as distracted by their expressions or immediate words, interruptions on my attention, etc. as I would in person. I'm able to "try things out" on a board and see how they work before I try them in my day-to-day life or, if I learn things from others or in therapy I can "practice" them here and get better at them. And, in telling my stories to others, I re-tell them to myself, express them in actual words and that helps me become more "solid" as to who I am and how I impact the world around me; it provides me a "base" to center myself from and a sense of continuity.

[jennie]

benefits:
(1) when you have no one to talk to . . .
(2) when you can't verbalize your issues . . .
(3) when you think no one cares
(4) you don't feel so alone . . . .
(5) when no one understands mental illness . . . .

dislikes:
(1) sometimes it's like talking to the wind
(2) sometimes it's like fishing