I don't think a Live Help type FA messenger would work - because whereas you can post and get advice from all kinds of people, FAA or not, in the board, you can only talk at the times the advisors are available with the messenger thing.
Unless there was some way of setting the FA board to not replying to your own thread or being locked when advice was given or something impossible..
I think highlighting a particular journal or something like that is also an interesting avenue to go down :)
It's like I get hacked off with people going "oh woe is me, my life's so awful, I'm all alone and no one understands, I want to die". And then you ask have they reached out for help in the real world, have they tried different options. And it makes me feel a bit like, well if you wont help yourself what do you expect anyone else to be able to do for you! Suicide should be the last option after you've exhausted everything else. Nothing worth having comes easy and I think that's especially true of good mental health.
i agree with the original suggestion concerning first aid.
i don't agree with the above quote. i'm sure i have said plenty of times woe is me, i want to die, etc but i have never asked/received any kind of help irl. i dunno, i just think it is a really difficult thing to do & personally i know that i have never wanted any kind of professional/outside help & i know loads of people on this site have done that and no disrespect good for them but just because someone is not receiving help (professional or otherwise) it doesn't mean they aren't trying to get better, or to better themselves in general.
i think the assumption that if someone is not reaching out for help irl but then still posts.. i dunno. i think it's pretty rude and nothing against you heidi because i have heard it many times from many people, but personally it always just makes me feel as if i am not worth bothering with just because i have not "reached out" for help in real life to anyone.
personally i know that i have never wanted any kind of professional/outside help & i know loads of people on this site have done that and no disrespect good for them but just because someone is not receiving help (professional or otherwise) it doesn't mean they aren't trying to get better, or to better themselves in general.
i think the assumption that if someone is not reaching out for help irl but then still posts.. i dunno. i think it's pretty rude and nothing against you heidi because i have heard it many times from many people, but personally it always just makes me feel as if i am not worth bothering with just because i have not "reached out" for help in real life to anyone.
I agree with this. I'm sorry if this comes across as me being rude but i'm not, I see lots of people who dont take advice that is given to them but i dont think to myself "oh well they are not taking my "advice or other members advice i wont bother helping them", just because someone doesnt take your advice it doesnt mean they are not getting help for themselves.
i think it's just difficult with First Aid specifically - because there is a limit on what can be done online.
it's different with asking for emotional support and not taking the support on offer, because doing this provides the opportunity for release and promotes thinking on your situation, even if you choose not to go ahead with the advice in the end. one day you might - or you might not, you might come up with your own solution.
but with something like taking an overdose, there is usually only one thing that the FAAs and other members can advise - and that is getting medical help. most people who take overdoses or use this site, i believe, know this. it really does seem more like people who are posting saying they've OD'd but can't (WON'T) go to hospital are directly or indirectly trying to worry other members because they are worried about themselves.
people need to understand that the FAF has limits and that their actions have an influence on how other members feel.
if you phoned NHS Direct saying you'd OD'd, you'd almost certainly be told to go straight to A&E - in fact, NHS Direct would probably call an ambulance. people shouldn't expect different advice to be offered over the internet.
(i realise i've picked out overdoses as an example. there are a lot less clear-cut situations than this).
i find the FAF useful for general medical questions, and really appreciate it being there, especially when i've looked up on the internet what my problem may be but still need some clarification/personal experiences on non-dangerous situations. but part of me also wonders why we offer general medical advice on a self harm site. (is this a self harm site?!) not that i'm complaining!
i find the FAF useful for general medical questions, and really appreciate it being there, especially when i've looked up on the internet what my problem may be but still need some clarification/personal experiences on non-dangerous situations. but part of me also wonders why we offer general medical advice on a self harm site. (is this a self harm site?!) not that i'm complaining!
I think this is the whole point - sorry to pick your post apart there!
The FAF was primarily made for Self Harm. Now that articles/phone numbers/advice has been put onto the main board - what is the primary use of the FAF?
I am not at all saying the FAA's don't do a good job or work hard, but i feel that even for general medical advice - you can get that reassurance and clarification via PM or a "Live Help" system. Atleast one FAA is on every single day and replies to 90% of posts made - but they give the same advice everytime, and the same links to there articles. I just feel it would be so much more beneficial for other members who want to ask more personal questions (which i have in the past) to PM first aiders - it will also make it much more personal and i know from me i'll feel more comfortable speaking to them on a one to one basis than broadcasting my personal general problems on the board.
It is the policy of the FA team to lock threads where the OP refuses to get help. We don't always lock them, but we try to if we see them in time. We also don't lock them right away because we like to give people a chance to change their mind.
As for the other things brought up, there has already been an extensive discussion on it, and the changes are not likely to be implemented ever.
The biggest issue is that the FA team is not a large team, and all of us have very busy lives outside of RYL. This means we can not staff a Live Help like system for more than a couple of hours a day total, and right now, the way our schedules work we are often all on line at the same time, making it even more useless. The Supporters have a large number of people trained for their LH service, and it's still only online about 50% of the time. The FA team has no way of getting that number of people on the team.
A PM service is also not optimal. Right now if someone PMs us they may not get a response for hours until that person gets online. If we had some sort of joint account there is the issue of not knowing if soemone was replied to or what they were told without doing research, which takes valuable time.
With a public forum other people can give the person support, ideas and links to helpful information, which makes it easier for us.
Well it breaks my heart to see you this way,
The beauty in life, where's it gone?
And somebody told me you were doing okay,
Somehow I guess they were wrong.
As I said in another thread about this issue, I think the first aid board needs to be made more private.
Currently people post and everyone can see what they've written and so sometimes it turns into a "look what ive just done" situation.
In other forums I'm on there's boards where when you post, it's only visible to the OP and the mods of the forum (in this case the FAAs). So this would mean the OP would be able to see and get replies from the FAAs but not other members. I think this is a better solution and eliminates any attention seeking which sometimes occurs. After all the FAAs are the only people qualified to give advice short of seeing a professional.
Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back, everything is different…
you once called your brain a hard drive, well say hello to the virus.
I haven't read the whole of this thread, but most about self harm/ODs/EDs etc in the First Aid Board are purely for attention seeking reasons.
It's not hard to read the stickies, and all the FAAs put in their posts (even if it's just for a papercut) say that they have to get it checked out at the hospital anyway.
In other forums I'm on there's boards where when you post, it's only visible to the OP and the mods of the forum (in this case the FAAs). So this would mean the OP would be able to see and get replies from the FAAs but not other members. I think this is a better solution and eliminates any attention seeking which sometimes occurs. After all the FAAs are the only people qualified to give advice short of seeing a professional.
As I said in another thread about this issue, I think the first aid board needs to be made more private.
Currently people post and everyone can see what they've written and so sometimes it turns into a "look what ive just done" situation.
In other forums I'm on there's boards where when you post, it's only visible to the OP and the mods of the forum (in this case the FAAs). So this would mean the OP would be able to see and get replies from the FAAs but not other members. I think this is a better solution and eliminates any attention seeking which sometimes occurs. After all the FAAs are the only people qualified to give advice short of seeing a professional.
I really think thats a good idea however;
Quote:
Originally Posted by ~Aidey~
The biggest issue is that the FA team is not a large team, and all of us have very busy lives outside of RYL.
With a public forum other people can give the person support, ideas and links to helpful information, which makes it easier for us.
The whole reason the board is there seems to be that then other members can try and help if a FAA isn't available.
Therefore we may aswell not have the board and just a PM service (as that is basically what it would be anyway) which unfortunatly the FAA's can't really cope with (not through lack of ability but lack of staff)
Ali xox
With demons dancing off mirror images reflecting all that you wanted.
So far from perfect, onward we will strive.
Take it for what it's worth, this truth that you've realized.
You're not who you thought you were, it's time to see the other side of what you have become.
But there are plenty of people on RYL who have registered First Aid certificates or are nurses/training to be nurses. It wouldn't be hard to find people to also become FAA's if people took the time to scan certificates/degrees etc in or send them in if necessary to Harley. That excuse is always used but there are plenty of people around more than willing to help/become an FAA.
But saying that, there's enough articles to not even warrant FAA's. The guides are helpful enough. I think a PM service would be good.
But that's just my opinion.
I also like Sarah (control freak's) idea of keeping the OD/SI threads to FAA's only and the general ones for all members. I mean, when i used to go on the board a lot some people posted problems about sinuses, and i've done lots of research on sinuses/had a sinus operation/spoken to ENT doctors about it, so i felt able to give advice. I'm sure the same goes for people who have suffered illnesses/injuries themselves and are able to offer advice to people who post about that specific illness/injury.
Acrasia, i completely agree. I just know that someone in another thread about the First Aid board said Harley/mods have to check qualifications etc.. etc.. before someone can be a FAA or something like that? So basically making it pointless asking for more FAA to be recruited so to speak.
Ali xox
With demons dancing off mirror images reflecting all that you wanted.
So far from perfect, onward we will strive.
Take it for what it's worth, this truth that you've realized.
You're not who you thought you were, it's time to see the other side of what you have become.
The whole reason the board is there seems to be that then other members can try and help if a FAA isn't available.
see.. this is a huge problem i have.. the FAA are so because they are TRAINED.. they have certificates and such like. they know what they are talking about.
I dont think its right for ordinary members ro reply to the FA posts, because then
a) why do we have FAA in the first place and
b) we get back to the 'members diagnosing members' issue.
Ive read threads in there before where people have said 'it sounds like you could be having a miscarriage'. Im sorry, but if youre not a medical proffesional, i dont think you should be allowed to candidly banter that kind of talk around.
see.. this is a huge problem i have.. the FAA are so because they are TRAINED.. they have certificates and such like. they know what they are talking about.
I dont think its right for ordinary members ro reply to the FA posts, because then
a) why do we have FAA in the first place and
b) we get back to the 'members diagnosing members' issue.
Ive read threads in there before where people have said 'it sounds like you could be having a miscarriage'. Im sorry, but if youre not a medical proffesional, i dont think you should be allowed to candidly banter that kind of talk around.
or... if someone said 'i had the same symptoms when i was pregnant, and my baby was fine.' and then the member, based on that experience from someone else didnt get help, and they DID lose their baby....
