Hi everyone
Just wanted to give a shout out to our community about helping other members by answering questions on our site.
On MyDepressionConnection we have a Questions and Answers component to the site where anyone can ask a question and anyone can answer.
I would encourage you all to use this part of the site as a way to get feedback on a problem or to get answers to questions you have about depression. We sometimes receive upwards of 200 questions or more in a good month and so it can be challenging to get all of these questions answered. This is a situation where we are greatly relying upon you, the community, to reach out and help other members. Sometimes the best answers come from people who have been in a similar situation and can provide the empathy and hard earned wisdom to give advice.
Please do reach out to your community here in both giving and receiving support.
Making comments on other member's posts as well as answering questions can help you in making you feel like you are part of something bigger than yourself. Knowing that you helped someone can give you a feeling of meaning and purposefulness. It is also a great way to bond and connect with others. Your experience is of great value and especially to others who are struggling. So don't hesitate to reach out. Your words may be just the thing someone needs to hear today.
For those who are interested in answering questions here on MyDepressionConnection, here are some guidelines to help you:
1. Do not give medical advice
Nobody here is a medical doctor or a pharmacist. However, we do receive a lot of questions about medications. These questions are somewhat difficult to answer because nobody here is qualified to give medical advice. Even if the person answering is a medical professional, it would be unethical to provide a diagnosis, tell people what they should or should not take with regard to medications, or act as an authority concerning someone's treatment. Giving medical advice also violates Health Central's terms of service. This is why we sometimes overstate the obvious: You have to see your doctor or therapist to get their expert medical opinion.
2. Talk about your own experience
It is always a good idea to discuss your own experience regarding the topic of the question. If you have experience, for example, taking a particular medication you can feel free to talk about that in your answer. But always preface this by saying, "This was my personal experience" and/or "What worked for me may not work for anyone else." Sometimes people feel strongly about their experiences, as in maybe you had a bad reaction to taking a particular medication. But this doesn't mean that this medication will be harmful to others. You have to know when to separate your experience from making predictions for other people.
3. Provide facts where they are needed
