The odds are against you in cyber help.

[Scrubmuncher]

Been spending a lot of time with some of the top guys in the country specialising in panic/anxiety and fantasy thought. Over the time in hospital they put it go me that the majority of people involved in sites such as this/sobriety etc and the whole range of supposed self help cyber groups have led to worsening symptoms by only being cyber life, not real, no one is actually dealing with anything, only going through the concept that rarely gets played out. Infact all in all I was told if suffering seriously these sites are bad news long term, although on the contrary can be life savers on the short term.

Just a thought before building an imaginary group of friends, these are words of people who have investigated this entire online support for such a wide spectrum of possibilities.

[eeyorelover]

I have been a member here for about 5 years and for me personally I don't think this holds true.
I truly believe that I'd still be completely housebound if I hadn't found this site!
The support and information I've received here made me want more for myself, made me push myself, and I knew that when I had a setback or a success that there were people who really did care and would support me.
I also believe that some members here feel that they can share their fears and issues more freely than they even could with a therapist because of the anonymity that the internet provides.
I have, however, heard some members say that they felt they needed to leave because they felt it would be better for them.
I also think that too much of any online activity could feed into someone's anxiety or more specifically how we tend to isolate ourselves a little bit at a time.
Creating one's own 'cyber world' and spending loads of time in it instead of facing one's fears and living in the real world would definitely be detrimental to one's mental health.
xxx
Sandy

[PokerFace]

If I hadn't have stumbled across this website I'd still be persuing my imaginary heart defect and I'd still be convinced I had something wrong with my heart and that I was about to drop dead at any minute.

Like eeyore said, it's a lifesaver in many cases, however, too much time and too much reliance on a website can feed your anxiety. Sometimes people need to leave this website for personal reasons, for instance, I class myself as having Health Anxiety, so sometimes it makes me a bit worse to read other peoples posts because I start to think "what if?" myself, but I know that's the time when I need to take a break, so I take one, as do the other people who have took a break or left the site.

I think it's a great support group, I've been here nearly a year now and I seriously don't know what I would have done without this site or the amazing people on it, I don't even want to imagine where I'd be right now! You have to treat it like anything else in life, take it in moderation, know yourself and know when you need to take a break. No More Panic will still be here when/if you feel ready to get back. xx

[jessicalittler79]

i also been a member for 3 years and if it wasnt for the site i dont no were id be ....this place has careing ppl and i love it here

[Horse]

Personally, I find this site to be of immense help.

Agreed, there are times when I read posts which contain too much information for MY benefit, but this is no fault of the poster.

I believe that great comfort can be very beneficial to people like myself who live alone and are prone to panic at unexpected times of the day and night whenever anxiety symptoms attack us.

However, I agree that by reading posts on any anxiety related site, we are subconsciously 'saturating' our illness by feeding our minds more and more information about our/others problems. But, bare in mind that also by not reading about others illnesses and symptoms will not make our anxiety go away!

I conclude that although such websites can make some sufferers possibly worse by reading certain posts (especially hypochondriacs), I still support such places and if a site is run with a manner such as this one in particular, I for one will remain eternally grateful and proud to think that people have been kind enough to offer help and compassion to fellow sufferers, including myself. Which as far as I'm concerned is what this world should all be about, but sadly........ is not!

Horse.

[PUGLETMUM]

no i tend to agree - sorry all but i have not made one friend from this site,but thats just me - i dont make friends easily, and i have kept a grip on reality the whole time i have used it - for some they will make friends they keep in touch with off the site, but for others how can anxiety and depression be the only thing you have in common? it helps to be able to talk about it though, but then i think most ppl arent so stupid to know deep down that actually they do have a seperate life off line that they have to deal with - alot of these so-called experts dont suffer and can be extremely patronising - we ourselves decide how much its helping - and sometimes you come to the realisation that yes i need to switch the computer off anf go and do something else - but also at times of great loneliness and distress this place can be the only place to find somebody to talk to who understands - for me that is what it does

[london]

if these these sites are so bad why you here or you just haveing a dig at people
and these so called top guys in the country did thay ever suffer
its like a lot of thing such as this works that dont what do people know who have never suffered NOTHING the mugs

[london]

Been spending a lot of time with some of the top guys in the country specialising in panic/anxiety and fantasy thought. Over the time in hospital they put it go me that the majority of people involved in sites such as this/sobriety etc and the whole range of supposed self help cyber groups have led to worsening symptoms by only being cyber life, not real, no one is actually dealing with anything, only going through the concept that rarely gets played out. Infact all in all I was told if suffering seriously these sites are bad news long term, although on the contrary can be life savers on the short term.

Just a thought before building an imaginary group of friends, these are words of people who have investigated this entire online support for such a wide spectrum of possibilities.

wheres the data from these top guys

[Anxious_gal]

well I think there’s a lot of other factors involved, nothing is that black and white.
things such as what anxiety disorder a person has, personality types, if they are getting any medical or professional help in their real life etc.
One thing that is true to a degree is that yes I am guilty of talking more about getting better than actually getting better.
Factors for me where ZERO support in my real life at the time, plus my agoraphobia was quite bad.
I did take a break from here to focus more on my real life but that was because I had a tiny bit of support which motivated me into getting out more.
I have noticed that the more I get out, the more stuff I do in the real world, naturally I spend less time on the internet.
I think problems may arise when all your friends are online, where you get all your help and support from online groups.
But why would someone does this? Because they haven't gotten any help or support from anyone in the real world.
There are lots of lonely people out there who have virtually no one and for them the internet is a source of comfort and human interaction.
I will say this though that yes if you can find support in the real world like doctors, therapists, health professionals, support groups, friends then that will help you greatly but keep in mind that not everyone has that advantage.
But online help/support sites are there to offer people support, advice, friendship.
Personally I think the benefits outweigh the negatives.
the negatives again really depend on the persons personality and their situation. It’s not that the help sites directly make them worse it's how they are using the site and not seeking out or maybe they don't have the option of getting support from the real world.
There needs to be balance, too much of anything is not good for you.

[verity]

I do find that people who have no direct experience of online support sites do tend to think they make people worse. I would love to actually do a study to see how the members of support sites actually feel about the support they get.
I dont believe that people would go on sites that didnt help them. I for one wouldnt be here if I didnt find it helped me. One of the best things about online sites is how it connects you with so many people who understand how you feel! So you dont feel so isolated anymore!
I for one have made a good friendship with a member of this site and we really help each other because we understand each other!