[Administration]

Forum Guide to Etiquette

At UKDF we have always favoured the idea of all members having an influence upon how successful we are. We are a support group, where all members support each other through the highs and lows of fighting mental health issues. The team who run this forum are all volunteers, we don’t get paid, many of us work for a living, and the majority of us are fighting mental health issues ourselves. It is not possible for the team to support such a large number of people alone. The function of the team is to keep the forum running smoothly, facilitate discussion and to mediate any disputes. It is not expected that the admin team offer more support than the rest of the membership as it puts a considerable strain on our resources. In order to keep this forum a successful place for all, we have written up the following guidelines. We have purposely avoided the more obvious aspects of our `rules`, these can be found in the rules link at the top of each forum.

Support

Please offer as much support as you can. We all know how important support is to us when we need it. If you expect support from others, please appreciate that others will expect the same from you. We understand that members may not always be up to offering support when they are low themselves, this is fine, there is a time to give support, and a time to take it. We would suggest however, that anyone who is capable of posting on the social threads, are also capable of letting those who are low, know that they care. A few of us here do not feel they can offer support because they do not always know what to say, and cannot offer advice. We do not just offer advice here, this is a place where people come so they don’t have to feel alone in their illness. Let them know they are not alone. A simple hug `(((((((((member’s name))))))))))))` goes a long way; it shows that you have taken time to read their thread, and it shows that you care.

How much support?

Here we like to get a nice balance between supporting members and encouraging everyone to join in on the social threads. Both are very important to the atmosphere we try to maintain on this forum. It is good to see people here getting to know each other in the social threads, it can be very good for people, especially those who have issues with social interaction. Often the social threads can be a step towards building a person’s confidence. Whilst we realise that posting on support threads alone can be draining to a member, we also realise that social interaction alone causes more serious issues to be overlooked.

In order to achieve a manageable balance we would ask that members answer as many support threads as they do the fun threads, looking out for those which have not received any replies, or have not attracted a good response. If you have posted to 6 fun threads, then try to post on 6 of the more serious threads. It’s that simple.

Those in need of support

Members here who need a shoulder to lean on are always welcome to start a topic in Urgent Support. Multiple Urgent Support topics from any one member are not encouraged. If a member already has a topic in Urgent Support then please add your issue to this topic. When the crisis has passed, please let the Admin team know, so that we may delete, or move the thread to the Depression Issues room, your journal, or any other area of the forum you may feel is suitable. This ensures that other on-going Urgent support threads are less likely to be over-looked.

Please try to refrain from starting serious support threads in the social rooms. People are often there for a welcome break from life and mental health issues and we try to maintain a light atmosphere. The odd rant or moan is totally acceptable, but serious issues should be avoided as it tends to make some members feel guilty for managing to have a laugh. We feel it is important for people to laugh as well as cry here. Feel free, however, to pop in to a social thread, such as the "Right Now" thread and ask that people take a look at your thread in the support area of the board - you will find that many members will once they get the ‘heads up’.

Finally a note on responsible posts...

We like to avoid gagging people as much as we can - this is why we have provided the Sin bin, to cater for the more outrageous members of this forum. There are, however, some things we would ask members to remember when making a post.

Please do not post about personal experiences which may trigger another member. If a sensitive issue is to be posted, then try to avoid graphic detail. It is often enough that members know what the experience is. We are particularly aware that someone who has battled/is battling an eating disorder posting about how they have/had tried to lose weight, can often give other sufferers of this disorder the same ideas. The same can be applied to self abuse and other disorders, please keep this in mind. If you are worried that your post may be distressing to another member, then let the membership know by posting the words *possible trigger* at the top of the post and a short description of what you are about to talk about. This gives people the option to avoid the topic if they are not in a good space themselves.

Any strong opinions upon legal, illegal drugs, psychiatry etc should be cited as the poster’s opinion only. As a whole this forum cannot be seen to be promoting illegal drugs, nor can we be seen condemning mental health treatments, or any medication. Medication affects people in different ways. Posting about personal experiences can be very helpful, and encouraging others to seek professional help is always very important, but anything beyond that is best left to the experts. We have no experts here.

Suicidal posts

Although we ask members not to post intentions of suicide here, members often do. If a member reads such a post PLEASE DIRECT THEM TO THE HELPLINES PROVIDED BEFORE POSTING ANYTHING ELSE. These numbers will direct the member to the professional help they need.

Any member wishing to make a suicidal post is best advised that we will, and have in the past, called the emergency services out to those we have been able to pinpoint. This can be done by tracing the IP address/email address of the member and reporting their intentions to their Internet Service Provider. Not all traces are successful, but it is worth remembering that many are.

The same procedure holds true for any abusive/threatening members.

Thank you for taking the time to read this thread.

The Team