How does this forum help you?

Hello all!

I've had this account for a while, but i only come on here when I have a question or a specific need. After I landed myself back in the hospital after another mental health incident, my psychologist suggested I find some online communities that could be supportive, since I don't like talking to anyone else but my husband, doctor and therapist. Sometimes I need more support than that, but am very private. So here I am!

My question is how do you use this forum? Are there any other forums you frequent that help? What do you get from these interactions?

Hope to hear from you soon

Gabby

For me, it's simple. No one else gets me. No one else understands how hard BD can be. I don't expect anyone to help me, but when I know others are suffering like me, it gives me strength to move forward.

I'm not a negative person, and I don't wish this illness on anyone. I don't want others to suffer like me; however, I just don't feel so alone when I'm here.

This is a good place to ground me and make me realise plenty others have similar issues although on bad days I find no consolation in like mindedness.
I only know one person with similar issues so when I feel detached I like checking in here every so often.

I primarily use this forum to express how I feel at any given moment. There's a lot to work with, I've utilized the blogs, online journals forum, venting forum, and the "How do you feel" threads in the Bipolar and BPD forums.

Are there any other forums you frequent that help?

The rules prohibit us from suggesting other forum websites, but if you're interested, take some time to lurk and make sure the site isn't poorly moderated, full of ill-tempered users lashing out at each other, or anything of the sort.

It's a good place to vent, and I take advantage of the online journal. It's also nice to get advice and support from other people with the same illness as me.

It's a place where I can feel at home and not judged, and the anonymity of it means that I can be totally honest and non 'censored'. Like others have said, it helps me to connect with those who have similar struggles, and hopefully we can help and support each other through them. In real life, I only know one person with a 'serious mental illness' (she has schizoaffective disorder), and although I've been to a face-to-face bipolar support group, it's not yet to the stage where I'd be able to call any of them friends, so I appreciate the contact I get here around the clock.

I have a loved one who is bipolar. This forum helps me to understand what she might be experiencing and what sort of support she might be looking for and what I must do to help her.

gabbygabby12 wrote:Hello all!

I've had this account for a while, but i only come on here when I have a question or a specific need. After I landed myself back in the hospital after another mental health incident, my psychologist suggested I find some online communities that could be supportive, since I don't like talking to anyone else but my husband, doctor and therapist. Sometimes I need more support than that, but am very private. So here I am!

My question is how do you use this forum? Are there any other forums you frequent that help? What do you get from these interactions?

Hope to hear from you soon

Gabby

I used to be like that. I would only come on here to ask a question or read some inspiring stories or try to be supportive, the little bit that I could be, considering I was going through so much depression at that time.

I like the anonymity of this place. I use this forum to talk to others about how we feel, what we are struggling with, sharing things about meds, or anything else that pertains to bipolar. There is also an "Off Topic" thread that you can use to share about other things. I don't frequent other forums, but I have in the past, signed up to one forum and I won't say the name, as it's not allowed, but it was a dead forum. No activity. Compared to them, we are much more active here. At least from that experience it just served to show that sometimes it's difficult to find places or forums that have a lot activity. So I recommend that you don't give up so easily on PsychForums. I've been on here for over 4 years, off and on. I like it here. If you don't always get any reply to your questions don't feel bad. There are a lot of people reading the posts even though most of them aren't members. It's sometimes not the easiest thing to reply when we don't know what to say or anything else like that.

When I got diagnosed I didn't receive any information on the illness. Not even a leaflet. So basically I came here screaming "WHYYY MEEE WHAAAT TO DOOOO HELP HELP HELP" and, miraculously, people provided that help and information.

Later I became a moderator and greatly enjoyed being able to pass that information further, so to say. Because I remembered how desperate I was for any help and that I got it. I've been able to post stuff here that I would not dare say to anyone in 3D and find others who would say "me too!". And the "You know you're bipolar when..." thread is hilarious and worth re-reading every now and then if like mine your memory is shot to pieces by meds.

It's also nice to see familiar names around and be all like yaaas kweeen let's do hugs! every now and then.

I tried another forum before I came here. I can't even remember what it was to be honest. But while this place was friendly, helpful and understanding, the other forum was more like "ah, a newbie, go cry in a corner or something while us adults discuss important stuff".

This is a helpful place.

I am also antisocial. I went over there (on this site) out of curiosity. Talk about a triggering event. I won't go back. I like it here. I'm learning to be more compassionate. You are nice folks.