It’s sad that 9 the top 10 posts on this forum have nothing to do with the subject of schizophrenia and only one even comes close. I’m as guilty as any in posting to some of these threads. Another sign that this forum has gone downhill.
Support is a broad concept. This site helps me when I’m between friends, fighting with friends, or like now when my two friends are both far away from me. Some days this is my only social interaction besides with my parents or C.
Wow. I just made myself sad.
I’ll start posting more egg threads
It’s a remarkable fact, that is for sure. To me it shows that there is apparently a need or desire in many of us to talk about other things than schizophrenia and the problems it comes with. I suspect we’d agree that that is probably a good thing, but the issue is of course whether this forum is the right place to do so. After all, there are many other places, both on- and offline, where one could go to to talk about songs, pictures, and other casual stuff.
I think that schizophrenia can pose many social problems. I suspect, as it does for me, that for many members, the forum provides a sense of belonging to a community. I also think that it can be a pretty direct consequence of (being diagnosed with) schizophrenia, that such a sense of belonging is compromised in many other contexts, related to (self-)stigma, feeding into loops of (mental) isolation. Many of us struggle with various kinds of isolation, have lost some, or all friends, due to positive or negative symptoms. Even when continuing to physically see friends and relatives, some are affected by this sense of no longer fitting in, of others not getting them, of being on one’s own even when surrounded by others.
The casual sections can provide a place to socialize. They have a place on this forum, I think, because they can relieve feelings of isolation a bit. As such, the forum can serve as a tool in managing schizophrenia, as well as a resource for information. Still, other forums may serve this function of socializing as well. Yet to feel comfortable to ‘chit-chat’ with others, I think the sense of belonging to the same community helps a great deal. The sense of being among like-minded. As said, schizophrenia can present one with feelings of not fitting in, of being radically different, and this does not help in socializing. That is why I think this particular forum should have opportunities for casual socializing. For the mere premise of the forum provides this sense of community, which may not be so much a prerequisite for socializing, but it does help a great deal.
if you look at the sheer mass of posts entirely… the topicality of schizophrenia likely remains… and also don’t over look that 95% of the posts in those threads are written by schizophrenics that need a place to chat.
it is interesting to see though…
This is just a snapshot in time…
I’m looking at the board now, and 18 out of the top 20 topics are affliction related.
I don’t know what you’re smoking.
It’s worse than I thought. Here are the top 18 threads. Only TWO are even remotely about mental health… The rest are all off-topic threads.
I’d probably have a comeback to your comment if I knew who you were.
So last year, the complaint was that there wasn’t an off-topic part of the board, and this year’s complaint is that there is and people are using it?
Use the board in the way it helps you best, and ignore the parts that are not useful to you. But you’re just winding yourself up for no reason when you take offence at people not using it in exactly the way you think they should.
So, in your last topic, you were angry that the “wrong” people were posting in the diagnosed section. Now you’re upset that there aren’t enough diagnosed topics? Can you please direct us as to how we should be posting?
Pay attention please.
I think this whole ‘positive’ conversation probably chased away a number of visitors who would otherwise feel comfortable enough to join the site.
Nice new avatar.