I just wanted to say thanks for everyones opinions. Its helpful to gauge feelings from the members rather than us sitting over our laptops trying to determine how you all feel about stuffs.
I can see how the threads can help people, and that it saves a lot of smaller threads being created. I've always sort of felt put off posting much in threads specific to certain groups of people, but that's due to me feeling unsure of where to post since I have a few different diagnoses.
Also I'd rather post in individual threads rather than posting regularly in one or two threads as I find making friends/regularly talking to people difficult. So refraining from posting is really due to personal reasons rather than anything else.
I have however, posted a couple of times in the "If you're feeling suicidal post here" thread, as I've found writing out how I'm feeling, and knowing other people feel similarly, can help me. Especially as sometimes I don't feel I deserve to have a whole thread, so being able to make a couple of posts feels more comfortable.
I don't feel the name trivialises the subject matter, I feel sometimes when you're in a desperate situation, having somewhere to post with people who are going through similar things can help. I don't think it's a 'pit of woe', the whole Serious Discussion board could be described as such but I believe that would invalidate people who are really struggling and post there. I'm glad it's there and don't feel the name has to be changed, that's just my personal opinion.
Last edited by BridgesAndBalloons : 18-01-2012 at 04:44 PM.
I think I am a little late in commenting, but I am going to anyway :P
I think the thread are mostly beneficial, although I haven't particularly frequented any of them, but from what I have read and seen they generally work well. I also do think they are fairly welcoming, even though i'm not a 'well known' member, members have made the effort to make me feel welcome when i have entered said threads.
I do however feel there is a limit to the number and type of threads being made. For example as someone said the 'cutters', 'burner's' etc and the imaginative ones which made me lol :P I don't know how this is supposed to be monitored though! Sorry :P
Also regarding the suicidal one, I have been in there a few times and much more recently, and I feel it has been slightly mispercieved. I genuinely have found it helpful, you always get support from other members even if it is just for a *hug* and especially as I rarely have the courage to make my own threads. I find it easier to post in a group thread where I don't particularly have to face my own problems, and where everyone else feels the same.
This is just my opinion though and i can understand why others may view the thread in a different light :) I hope i havent offended anyone or anything :)
Have you ever looked fear in the face and said "I just don't care"?
My problem with it, and I can only speak for myself here, is that suicide is a huge thing. After reading the last few pages of the thread in question (including the posts bashing this thread), it does seem to be trivialising the issues. It's almost putting feeling suicidal on the same level as feeling happy or okay. Like when people ask how you are "yeah, I'm feeling pretty suicidal/good/okay/ill/down today". It is not on the same level as the others, or at least it shouldn't be. And I think doing so is incredibly dangerous.
I can't say for sure, but I would think that an individual thread would be more likely to get at least some response quicker than a post in one thread, which is surely what people want/need if they are feeling suicidal?
Edit: Just read your reply to Charlie. My personal opinion is that if you are feeling actively suicidal on a daily basis then you need to go see a professional, and fast. Posting on RYL probably isn't going to be enough for you, if your feelings are that intense. (Note that I am referring to the general you, not you personally.)
I'm very sorry i read what you said the wrong way. You have edited it now but i hope i didnt upset you.
I think the problem with a thread focussing on suicide is that people may think (especially looking at the fact there are members on here as young as 10 or 11) if they're not suicidal then they won't get support and therefore feel worse. Yes, in reality life isn't as clear cut as that, neither are any of the threads and people will get support with whatever if posted but still, some people can be swayed to thinking that way and there are a lot of vulnerable people on this site in one way or another.
Feeling suicidal is a really extreme feeling and is not one I would wish on anyone, but having a thread where people are posting about it or that they are feeling suicidal etc all the time, even if trying to get support, does normalise it which makes it appear to be a normal human emotion which isn't true. The same as how many people before they came on this site thought that SI wasn't normal but then after being on here for a while surrounded by a group of people who all SI think it's normal; a lot will, many have said they find it harder to stop on here because then they feel they won't 'fit in' and such. Yes, it is good in a way that SI has become normalised on the SITE as it means people can gain support, so long as they realise that in reality it isn't normal.
Suicidal people on the otherhand, when they are feeling that way, often can't rationalise things and if they see a thread where it is seen as a normal emotion there they may then think there isn't a problem and not seek professional help which, if you're actively suicidal you need to do straight away, if you're not actively suicidal but have thoughts of suicide most of the time then you also need help and I'm thinking that if a thread is there encouraging people to post if they are suicidal in a way that is saying 'well being suicidal is kind of normal' as they see so many people in a small place talking about it like it is and therefore not seeking help and it may (and this is seen on RYL with other things such as EDs) make people think they need to feel that way to 'fit in' and as well as that it may lead to competition (which definitely happens on some areas of the site; the FA Team go through periods where we are seriously trying to tackle a lot of competitive threads/ posts in the First Aid Forum). It's impossible to say how that would turn out and yes support is given on there but people see others posting about suicidal feelings which can be very triggering and therefore lead to those sorts of thoughts in others whom may not have had them before entering the thread; I'm not saying it's instant, but in some it will happen especially as people begin to worry about others and become more stressed by what is written on there by people who they may have developed bonds with. So yep, you can say what whilst people are posting on there they're not 'standing on a bridge' about to try it, but it may lead to more people ending up in a situation where they are in that position or are feeling that way and that does worry me.
Maybe the thread is useful but I feel definitely a name change is needed, perhaps even a new thread is opened so it's like a fresh slate but then at the same time would it still be a group of people who are talking about being suicidal and altering other peoples views (even on a subconscious level)? That is what I worry about and I have seen people start as a member here with their main problem being they have SH'd a couple of times. Then there SH has worsened (which may be because it often does go that way or because of it seeming normal on here), then they've been a bit down and maybe that's affected their eating and so they've asked if they've got an ED. At that point they haven't but they've seen what other people have posted and it seems they've fallen into one, maybe just by reading some threads and gradually copying that behaviour and before they know it that's it. So now they SH and have an ED and I've seen it develop on from there and some cases have just been things that have happened randomly, they would've been likely to have progressed like that anyway, but some with how you've seen their posts and such do seem to have fallen into this because of what they've read on the site and I feel that a large thread where people openly talking about them feeling suicidal and such may then lead them further down a long winding road.
I'm sorry if that doesn't make sense or whatever, it's just kind of written as my thoughts appeared.
