These guidelines are for the public discussion board on this website. They are intended to keep the space useful, respectful, and safer for people looking for general mental health information and peer reflection.
In brief
- Comments are reviewed before they appear publicly.
- Use a first name or nickname, not identifying personal details.
- Speak from your own experience rather than diagnosing or instructing others.
- Do not give medication advice or tell someone to stop or start treatment.
- This is not psychotherapy, diagnosis, crisis care, or a substitute for professional help.
- If there is immediate risk, use emergency or crisis support rather than posting.
What this community is for
The discussion board is for general questions, reflections, and supportive peer replies about anxiety, panic, OCD, fears, stress, burnout, and related mental health topics. It can help people feel less alone and find useful educational resources.
Before posting
- Keep your post general enough to be safe in a public space.
- Do not include full names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, workplaces, school details, or other identifying information.
- Do not post information about another person that could identify them.
- Do not post urgent requests that need immediate clinical or emergency attention.
How to reply helpfully
- Be kind, specific, and easy to understand.
- Use phrases such as “what helped me was…” rather than “you should…”.
- Encourage professional help when someone describes persistent, severe, risky, or impairing symptoms.
- Respect uncertainty. People can have similar symptoms for different reasons.
- Remember that brief online replies cannot replace a proper assessment or therapeutic relationship.
What may be edited, held, or removed
- Identifying personal information.
- Abuse, harassment, stigma, or discriminatory language.
- Unsafe advice, diagnosis, medication instructions, or instructions to stop treatment.
- Spam, promotional links, or repeated posts.
- Detailed descriptions that could be harmful to vulnerable readers.
- Requests that require urgent clinical, safeguarding, or emergency help.
If you need help now
If you may be at immediate risk, feel unable to keep yourself safe, or are worried someone else is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services or a crisis support service now. The discussion board is not monitored as a crisis service.
For practical next steps, use the Find Help for Mental Health page.
Review date: 2 May 2026.
