why is there not mental health forum on this site

LegacyUser

i dont udnerstand why there is not a mental health forum here where people and families affected by mental illness can relate and help each other out. even for anyone at least one time in their lives they will be depressed and its very scary if you dont have real people who went through it or are dealing with it to just talk to about the issues. i think in this country more than any other country in western europe people are more inclined to have mental illness and depressions

Steve

I don't know why this was moved to feedback, perhaps you should re-phrase your question and try again. If you have a specific issue then make it clear rather than sounding like you are requesting a mental health forum.

*sorry if I got this wrong PI mods

Wibbs

I'd say because PI is enough of a minefield with regard to medical advice and already vulnerable people getting sidetracked. Especially if they start to doubt sound medical advise.

I've also noticed depression threads in PI of late have a tendency to become very polarised over treatments. The ones I remember from before not so much. One in particular I remember was pretty good and stayed on topic and avoided that.

The long term illness forum has had some good threads as well.

Bard

Erm... the answer to the question posed in the subject of this thread is more than likely "because nobody ever requested one", to be honest.

I'm not certain if these will help the OP but there are already forums for Psychology, Disability (albeit physical disability, specifically) and Long Term Illness.

Overheal

I have to agree with the OP somewhat, there might be precedent for a forum regarding the general discussion of mental health and not just when it becomes a PI? Granted though I dont visit the Long Term Illness forum (or psychology) so I may be chewing my foot here.

Talliesin

stevec wrote: »

I don't know why this was moved to feedback

Because it's feedback about the site.

And the answer is that the place to suggest, and discuss the merit of, new forums is the Forums forum.

orestes

I thought boards is a mental health forum?

I just kinda take it for granted that everyone on here is mentally unstable in one way or another and relating to each other on here is our way of dealing with it.

Thunderdome for the anger management cases, Cuckoos nest for those with chronic dementia, Feedback for the people strangely obsessed with pictures of cats, and After Hours for the downright incurably bloody mental

jaffa20

Overheal wrote: »

I have to agree with the OP somewhat, there might be precedent for a forum regarding the general discussion of mental health and not just when it becomes a PI? Granted though I dont visit the Long Term Illness forum (or psychology) so I may be chewing my foot here.

+1

It's time a mental health forum is added. Not where medical advice is given but to allow for discussion where people can relate to each other. The other forums are too specific to deal with this subject.

Steve

Talliesin wrote: »

Because it's feedback about the site.

And the answer is that the place to suggest, and discuss the merit of, new forums is the Forums forum.

Such is the way of things.
IMO the OP was maybe asking for some help and didnt know how - or - was asking for a forum in a highly unlikely way by posting anon in PI..

What would I know though..

nesf

A lot of us hang out in Long Term Illness because mental illnesses can very much be for life and unsurprisingly other people who have to take meds or do therapy for long periods of time or in recurring episodes tend to have similar concerns sometimes. Biology/Medicine handles all the medication queries and PI with what's left over. It's not a perfect solution but it does work.

That said, properly moderated the forum could work.

GuanYin

There is no mental health forum because the cons to such a forum far outweigh the pros.

There is a Biology/Medicine and a Long Term Illness Forum that can take such topics on a very shallow scale, after which professional help is what is required, not a lot of people on the internet with opinions taken from the back of a breakfast cereal box.

I wouldn't want anyone but trained professionals modding that forum and as we're unlikely to get them, I can say that as far as I'm concerned, there won't be one in the Science and Medicine forums.

Orion

orestes wrote: »

Thunderdome for the anger management cases, Cuckoos nest for those with chronic dementia, Feedback for the people strangely obsessed with pictures of cats, and After Hours for the downright incurably bloody mental

Considering you're the Baron I'm shocked you forget the Nocturnal forum for those with insomnia.

And then there's the entire Games category for those with allergies to fresh air. And don't forget the Unix forum for those with overeating issues and razor aversion disorder.

Overheal

GuanYin wrote: »

I wouldn't want anyone but trained professionals modding that forum and as we're unlikely to get them, I can say that as far as I'm concerned, there won't be one in the Science and Medicine forums.

how do you even find professionals for forums? I know think emergency services is actually modded by a garda officer for instance but how can you be really sure? Do they just go and have tea with DeVore or something and flash their credentials?

38141

...because.they..don't..want..people..talking..about..that..bad..bad..word

SUICIDE

Overheal

no... that happens a lot in PI. cmon youve been around long enough i thought you knew that?

though I observe the number of suicidal posts in PI has dropped of significantly since the good weather came about :rolleyes:

Black Swan

orestes wrote: »

Cuckoos nest for those with chronic dementia,

Indeed! And we all miss you over there orestes since your escape.

GuanYin

Overheal wrote: »

how do you even find professionals for forums? I know think emergency services is actually modded by a garda officer for instance but how can you be really sure? Do they just go and have tea with DeVore or something and flash their credentials?

I think that is my point.

nesf

GuanYin wrote: »

There is no mental health forum because the cons to such a forum far outweigh the pros.

There is a Biology/Medicine and a Long Term Illness Forum that can take such topics on a very shallow scale, after which professional help is what is required, not a lot of people on the internet with opinions taken from the back of a breakfast cereal box.

I wouldn't want anyone but trained professionals modding that forum and as we're unlikely to get them, I can say that as far as I'm concerned, there won't be one in the Science and Medicine forums.

There's a human element to mental illness that can be discussed quite easily without causing any problems or straying into the realms best left to the professionals. Aware groups do a lot of people a lot of good and there's no professionals at those meetings and they follow a few simple rules, i.e. no discussing particular medication, particular psychiatrists/hospitals etc. There's more to mental illness than just the medical side and even relatives of patients being able to congregate and chat can do them the world of good even when what they are discussing is mundane. Being able to share experiences, worries and anger with others can be therapeutic and it is not something that needs a psychiatrist or psychologist overseeing so long as reasonable limits placed on discussion.

The professionals would only be needed if there was some kind of therapy and/or medical advice going on, both should be avoided and discussions on medication could simply be kept to Biology/Medicine where they seem to happen without any major problems.

38141

GuanYin wrote: »

I wouldn't want anyone but trained professionals modding that forum and as we're unlikely to get them, I can say that as far as I'm concerned, there won't be one in the Science and Medicine forums.

The whole point is that trained professionals really do nothing more than any layperson does - they listen.

What suicidal people want, and need also, is someone to listen to them.

tbh

I can tinker with an engine with the best of them, but if you car breaks down, are you going to bring it to me, or a mechanic?

nesf

38141 wrote: »

The whole point is that trained professionals really do nothing more than any layperson does - they listen.

What suicidal people want, and need also, is someone to listen to them.

I completely and utterly disagree with that. Someone who is genuinely suicidal needs professional help, simply because if they are suicidal because of a mental illness they need to be confined and treated until they are in a state where they won't attempt to damage themselves. A lay person is a very poor substitute in these situations. The Samaritans do good work in this area but an internet forum with open-access posting is the last place a suicidal person should be getting help from.

The whole point is that there is a whole lot more to mental illness than suicidal tendencies and many of the more chronic problems are something that are worth chatting about with other sufferers. Acute situations, like suicidal urges, are not something that should be dealt with by anyone who isn't a professional.

GuanYin

nesf wrote: »

There's a human element to mental illness that can be discussed quite easily without causing any problems or straying into the realms best left to the professionals. Aware groups do a lot of people a lot of good and there's no professionals at those meetings and they follow a few simple rules, i.e. no discussing particular medication, particular psychiatrists/hospitals etc. There's more to mental illness than just the medical side and even relatives of patients being able to congregate and chat can do them the world of good even when what they are discussing is mundane. Being able to share experiences, worries and anger with others can be therapeutic and it is not something that needs a psychiatrist or psychologist overseeing so long as reasonable limits placed on discussion.

The professionals would only be needed if there was some kind of therapy and/or medical advice going on, both should be avoided and discussions on medication could simply be kept to Biology/Medicine where they seem to happen without any major problems.

That is all very well to say and alot harder to put into practice. Boards.ie is a site full of people who like to throw their opinion in. They tend not to care if it does good, is worthwhile, is wanted or is on topic. That can cause problems if you have someone come along with emotional investment. Look at PI threads where people are upset by the responses they get.

If we could assure an understanding and nuturing environment, I would support this. But we can't. I think we all know this. A mental health forum would be difficult to moderate and require mods on the same page with alot of empathy and an ability to read the situation. I wouldn't know where to begin to look for those mods - there are people like that on boards.ie, but would they want the position?

Would the PI mods take on such a forum?

We could have a mental health forum that may do alot of good. IMHO it would only take one wrong post to send someone over the edge for it to be a disaster. That is not a risk I want to be involved in, do you?

tbh

a lot of what you are saying is required is already happening (and has been for a while) without fuss in the LTI forum. I've not problems with separating those threads out to their own forum, but I don't think that the creation of a new forum would give license to go further than we already have - i.e. giving medical advice etc.

GuanYin

tbh wrote: »

a lot of what you are saying is required is already happening (and has been for a while) without fuss in the LTI forum. I've not problems with separating those threads out to their own forum, but I don't think that the creation of a new forum would give license to go further than we already have - i.e. giving medical advice etc.

Again, I think the scope is slightly different. I agree 100% with nesf

nesf wrote:

the whole point is that there is a whole lot more to mental illness than suicidal tendencies and many of the more chronic problems are something that are worth chatting about with other sufferers.

but a forum specifically for such issues is one where many people who should be seeking professional health will go. That is just human nature. I get e-mails or messages on MSN from friends all the time who ask about something they looked up on WebMD or read on a forum when what they needed to do was seek professional advice straight out. What we don't want is desperate people looking for solace in an internet forum. Sure that can happen with LTI, but usually these people are already under medical treatment.

Again, I believe, like LTI, such a forum *could* do good. I also think there is far more scope for things to go drastically wrong.

tbh

oh i gotcha - what's being asked for is a more in-depth discussion group, and the type of discussion in LTI is probably as far as we could go, is that right?

GuanYin

tbh wrote: »

oh i gotcha - what's being asked for is a more in-depth discussion group, and the type of discussion in LTI is probably as far as we could go, is that right?

That seems to be my take on it (assuming I understand you correctly). I think between PI and LTI boards.ie already covers a large proportion of what should be discussed in the area and the mods in both fora (ie. you ) do a fantastic job and have done it longer and better than any other mod could.

There are logistical issues too. We would most likely require anonymous posting as PI has. That requires mods with time.

6th

Mental Health Forum .... hhmmmmm .... would needs mods with losts of spare time ..... hhmmmm ........ even I wouldnt touch that!

nesf

GuanYin wrote: »

That seems to be my take on it (assuming I understand you correctly). I think between PI and LTI boards.ie already covers a large proportion of what should be discussed in the area and the mods in both fora (ie. you ) do a fantastic job and have done it longer and better than any other mod could.

There are logistical issues too. We would most likely require anonymous posting as PI has. That requires mods with time.

On the flip side, LTI isn't an obvious place to go and PI isn't ideal because of the mixed nature. I think a mental health forum run along the same lines as LTI already is could be useful, if only because more people will be able to find it because of the name and because if a regular group of responsible posters form, then the discussions might be worthwhile. I agree with you about the potential problems, but we haven't had huge problems in LTI or Bio/Med with mental health discussion, even medication discussion particularly about side effects has been useful and the synthesis of medical and lay opinion is actually a good one from what I've seen.

People with acute problems shouldn't even be allowed post on such a forum. The threads should be instantly locked and the poster directed to either the Samaritans and/or a medical practitioner. If the forum is limited to the discussion chronic problems, the effects of mental illnesses on family life and similar topics then you're a) far further away from the "one post setting someone off" risk that's inherent in threads about acute mental health problems, suicide being the primary one and b) discussing topics that are something that sufferers can help themselves with.

If the forum seemed to be turning into what you fear might happen, where the wrong kind of chatter is going on, then it could simply be closed and the idea put back on the shelf until a better way of implementing it could be realised, if ever.

DeVore

This terrifies me. We've had a few instances of "near misses" here. A couple of cases of people threatening suicide for a few reasons or holding their own welfare to ransom etc. I'm not going to go into identifying details because in some cases it would feed the cause of the problem.
You wouldnt have heard about it at the times, but seriously unfunny and scary sh*t. These people werent "hardcore" or seeking attention for the most part and at least one was well on the way to an "on air" exit.

Mental health is a massive MASSIVE hidden problem in Ireland with suicide being its shocking public face. The system isnt just broke its f*cked beyond belief and places like Boards gets the spill over and try to deal with it as best we can.

I very much doubt there will ever be a Mental Illness board on Boards because of these extremes. While 99% of people here are really helpful and kind, there's the 1% of dicks who would post "gowan, do it like I did yore ma" etc to push them over the edge and then lol about it afterwards.

I've been in email contact with a site being set up specifically to give on-net support for mental illness and suicidal people and I've dumped as much as I could of my experience to them in a mail but I have told them I think they are biting off a lot and need to be careful. Rather them then me but I wish them well. I'll publish the link when its live.

DeV.

Wibbs

DeVore wrote: »

You wouldnt have heard about it at the times, but seriously unfunny and scary sh*t. These people werent "hardcore" or seeking attention for the most part and at least one was well on the way to an "on air" exit.

It's actually happened on or around a couple of american sites already.

Mental health is a massive MASSIVE hidden problem in Ireland with suicide being its shocking public face. The system isnt just broke its f*cked beyond belief and places like Boards gets the spill over and try to deal with it as best we can.

In my own life I've known 4 people who've committed suicide. Knew them quite well too. In only one case was a suicide verdict returned. I've no clue how they got around that tbh. So I suspect on that admittedly small sample that the problem is even bigger. I know people in the system too and they use the same description as you.

While 99% of people here are really helpful and kind, there's the 1% of dicks who would post "gowan, do it like I did yore ma" etc to push them over the edge and then lol about it afterwards.

That's the problem. Any PI mod will tell you the number of muppets that you have to scrape off is high. Very high at times. I didn't get the extent of that as a user. I don't mean the usual stuff that's a misunderstanding or they didn't read the charter or I've had a bad day . I mean right so and sos. I dread the day a suicide thread comes up and there isnt a mod to intercept it. PI also seems to have a lot of traffic and passers by(I could be wrong here), whereas I suspect other fora don't, so the chance of sheer muppetry is less as a consequence.

I think in an ideal world a mental illness forum would be a bloody great outlet for those who just wanted to share their experiences, just like any other illness. The LTI forum has had some good threads on the subject very informative and well modded too. I've personally learned a lot from nesf alone.

Sadly I think it could only work if it was a private forum and anon posting was allowed, which isn't really doable. Even in my own limited modding experience the other forum I'm a mod in, Sex & sexuality, where you would think the chances of muppetry would be high, is an absolute walk in the park by comparison to PI.

I think a mental illness forum would be as hard.

The Black Oil

The cons outweigh the pros.

Some people can post suicide threats, intent, plans, that they've overdosed etc. As well as that some people lie and can be incredibly manipulative. Some very awkward relationships and dynamics can develop if you're not careful.

A venting space is fine but a specific forum would have to be tightly monitored and have very clear guidelines.