F&A Thread Closed.

liah

Mod told me to bring it here as she refused to discuss it further.

I posted a thread in F&A about how to get rid of spots on my legs. It was closed because it was seen as 'asking for medical advice' even though I wasn't looking for a diagnosis or medical advice, just advice on how to deal with spots.

Now, there's a multitude of threads on dry skin in F&A, and frankly I don't see how it's any different; they're both clearly dermatological issues. I'm fairly sure I've seen a few here and there on normal face spots that didn't get closed, either.

Why am I not allowed to ask how to get rid of spots? I mean, for god's sake. They're spots. Why do I need to go to a GP just to find out how to get rid of them? I cannot afford a GP and it is just not an option for me - what is so unbelievably bad about asking how to deal with spots?!

Spear

Moved from DRP to the more general helpdesk, as the DRP is for bans/infractions.

Tom Dunne

When dealing with issues such as this, you have to look beyond your issue and look at the bigger picture.

Irrespective of whether these spots are a danger or not, the issue at hand here is can Boards.ie allow discussion of such topics where people discuss a condition and others offer their opinion on it. Yes, it is possible to share experiences, but at what point does sharing experience become medical advice? It's a very grey area.

Sadly, there is a proportion of people, who believe everything they read on the internet. Their unquestioning, take-everything-at-face-value, I-read-it-on-the-internet-so-it-must-be-true stance on life opens not only themselves to danger, but also Boards.ie itself. They are the first type of people who will turn around and sue the site if the lump on their leg is not cured by applying strawberry yoghurt and pine needles.

Put yourself in a moderators shoes. How do they judge what is and is not acceptable? Why is one discussion allowed in FA and not allowed in, for example, the Long Term Illness forum? And so on.

So unfortunately, we have to have a sitewide ban on dispensing any kind of medical advice, or anything that can be perceived as medical advice.

liah

Then why are threads on facial spots, dry skin, etc etc etc allowed? Does it not strike you as hypocritical, as these are also dermatological issues?

Why do they not receive the "ask a GP!" reply? What is the difference?

Tom Dunne

liah wrote: »

Then why are threads on facial spots, dry skin, etc etc etc allowed? Does it not strike you as hypocritical, as these are also dermatological issues?

Why do they not receive the "ask a GP!" reply? What is the difference?

It's hardly hypocritical. Inconsistent? Possibly. I haven't seen the threads in question.

Mods are human after all.

dudara

I attempted to explain via PM to liah that this would have been due to inconsistent behaviour on the part of the mod team.

Personally, and largely based on my long-term experience moderating Personal Issues, I would close any and all threads. In your case, you stated that this was a long-term problem, and this made me even more certain of my decision to close the thread.