Alternative Internet Site Recommendations

[Cerberus]

I've got a storm in my brain all the time, but it's not the good kind, so you all should collectively brainstorm ideas for the best places elsewhere on the web to descend upon. It would be particularly useful if there are targeted resources for specific conditions, and good information about medications.

As I mentioned in our notice, we will explore possibilities of keeping the site up as a read-only archive for a time, for reference, but I can make no promise of that, so alternatives would be good to have—not just alternative forums and social media, but resources for agencies, support services and the like.

[the maze runner]

EDIT:- moving my comments to the appropriate thread

Edited December 14, 2022 by the maze runner

[deeschmee]

https://www.mentalhealthforum.net/

This one seemed fairly good and looked organized. 

States experienced volunteers and has worldwide links to reputable mental health organizations. 

 

I may join under my same screen name. Let me know if anyone else does also 🤗

[CrazyRedhead]

1 hour ago, deeschmee said:

https://www.mentalhealthforum.net/

This one seemed fairly good and looked organized. 

States experienced volunteers and has worldwide links to reputable mental health organizations. 

 

I may join under my same screen name. Let me know if anyone else does also 🤗

I like that one, @deeschmee.......

Here's another one I found that looks pretty good and also organized--it's run by PSYCH CENTRAL.

https://mysupportforums.org

Edited December 14, 2022 by CrazyRedhead

[MiaB]

2 hours ago, deeschmee said:

https://www.mentalhealthforum.net/

This one seemed fairly good and looked organized. 

States experienced volunteers and has worldwide links to reputable mental health organizations. 

 

I may join under my same screen name. Let me know if anyone else does also 🤗

@deeschmee I haven't had the chance to look into this particular one in enormous detail, but I feel it would be remiss of me not to say that some of what I did read made my eyes water and would not have passed muster here.  I refer to some questionable meds threads, anti-psychiatry trains of thought and student research projects of which I am unsure.  I like the interface and so on, but please just read critically and protect yourself first.  There is still a lot of time for you all to resolve finding a new home. 

Mia

[deeschmee]

15 minutes ago, MiaB said:

@deeschmee I haven't had the chance to look into this particular one in enormous detail, but I feel it would be remiss of me not to say that some of what I did read made my eyes water and would not have passed muster here.  I refer to some questionable meds threads, anti-psychiatry trains of thought and student research projects of which I am unsure.  I like the interface and so on, but please just read critically and protect yourself first.  There is still a lot of time for you all to resolve finding a new home. 

Mia

Oh thank you!! Yes!! I do appreciate the fact that you checked it out! I can be quite gullible some times...

[CrazyRedhead]

Here are other resources that some of us might find helpful:

_____SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Healh Services Administration).....This is a free, confidential, 365 days a year referral and information service (in English and Spanish), for people and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders:    phone: 1-800-662-4357       (for people located in U.S.)

_____NAMI (National Alliance on Mental illness).........phone: 1-800-950-6264      text: text "HelpLine" to 62640        (for people located in U.S.)

_____Also for U.S. members, this is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:  Phone: 1-800-273-8255

Edited December 14, 2022 by CrazyRedhead

[deeschmee]

48 minutes ago, CrazyRedhead said:

I like that one, @deeschmee.......

Here's another one I found that looks pretty good and also organized--it's run by PSYCH CENTRAL.

https://mysupportforums.org

That one looks better. Especially after I what @MiaB stated ☺

[basuraeuropea]

1 hour ago, CrazyRedhead said:

I like that one, @deeschmee.......

Here's another one I found that looks pretty good and also organized--it's run by PSYCH CENTRAL.

https://mysupportforums.org

i discovered that i'm a member of this site under the same username when trying to create an account. i joined in 2012, posted something about memantine and then never visited the site again.

this is me there: https://mysupportforums.org/member.php?u=196983

[MiaB]

As @Cerberussaid when he began this thread, we encourage you all to brainstorm different ideas, and I really am pleased to see that you are starting to do so.  Neither he nor I are going to be able to check into every potential alternative site that comes up, so I just have a few suggestions for what you may want to think about:

• do the interface and general forum layout seem user-friendly?

• what are the forums - have they clumped together all psych meds and all psych conditions, for example, and if so, can you live with that?

• what is the culture of the site?  By this I mean the norms and values that underlie everything that happens.  Obviously you will not pick that up through first readings, but what you can do is look at the rules, the FAQs for new members, how much importance they place on minutiae like status attached to the number of posts a member has made, and so on.

• are there hidden (or not-so-hidden) real life costs?  Do they expect cash donations along the way? Can you live with that?

CB is not perfectly replicable - that would be impossible.  You may have to make compromises along the way.  I would simply hope that nobody winds up somewhere potentially unhealthy.

Mia

[DogMan]

Feel free to PM me for contact details 

 

I get lazy with emails. But I can provide that 

 

My Facebook is a LOT of beach pictures. And I'm in a few private groups for brain cooties. I find the biggest problem with issue specific groups is the implied hierarchy of suffering in that they all view whatever condition that the group is about as worse than any other 

 

I don't know if I will join anywhere. I might. I've seen lots of forums rise and fall and moves or offshoots never recapture the magic or same dynamic 

[DogMan]

This is probably inconsequential 

 

But if chosen forum is outside the US it might be ICD heavy. Which probably only matters for a few dx which are quite different to DSM like dissociative disorders and disorders of stress like CPTSD

[coraline]

I am not sure where to go from here so I have no suggestion

Just wanted to put it out there that anyone is free to PM me for my contact info

 

[the maze runner]

Found this. Seems to be partitioned into specific disorders/conditions just like CB

https://www.psychforums.com/forum.html

and is also less intense than others

Edited December 15, 2022 by the maze runner

[Antecedent]

On 12/14/2022 at 12:54 PM, deeschmee said:

https://www.mentalhealthforum.net/

This one seemed fairly good and looked organized. 

States experienced volunteers and has worldwide links to reputable mental health organizations. 

 

I may join under my same screen name. Let me know if anyone else does also 🤗

We could put CB in our signature (or avatar or whatever is available in whatever place we choose) to remind us. And let's keep the same avatars? (because I tend to remember avatars and names in combination!)

21 hours ago, DogMan said:

This is probably inconsequential 

 

But if chosen forum is outside the US it might be ICD heavy. Which probably only matters for a few dx which are quite different to DSM like dissociative disorders and disorders of stress like CPTSD

That's a good point... hmmm... I'm outside the US and even though many clinicians use the ICD, a lot use the DSM and a lot of English speakers use the DSM names in trying to self-educate just because it's easier to find information that way, so conceptualizing things in a DSM way shouldn't stop people understanding us hopefully

Edited December 15, 2022 by Antecedent

[the maze runner]

4 minutes ago, Antecedent said:

We could put CB in our signature (or avatar or whatever is available in whatever place we choose) to remind us. And let's keep the same avatars? (because I tend to remember avatars and names in combination!)

+1

Only drawback is not enough sections for specific meds or classes of meds

 

[Antecedent]

1 minute ago, the maze runner said:

+1

Only drawback is not enough sections for specific meds or classes of meds

 

The others were saying the "mentalhealth" one seemed a bit anti-psychiatry in general, so not very friendly. We especially don't want to be somewhere where we could see messages like that at our most vulnerable.

 

https://mysupportforums.org  might be better?

The lack of blogs is a real sad thing. It's so nice to be able to keep a diary and have people offer support at the same time

[basuraeuropea]

1 hour ago, the maze runner said:

Found this. Seems to be partitioned into specific disorders/conditions just like CB

https://www.psychforums.com/forum.html

and is also less intense than others

i registered here under the same username, too.  i'm not able to add my avatar yet, however, as i haven't been a member long enough.

so i'm on psychforums.com and mysupportforums.org, both under the same username.

[DogMan]

In case people don't know. The public parts of CB. So boards excluding PTSD, not the blogs, can always be read in future by typing the url into https://archive.org/web/

 

wayback machine internet archive

[CrazyRedhead]

I've looked all around at different sites, and I will keep looking, but so far I've been somewhat disappointed at what I've seen..**SIGH**

There will never be another place like CB......☹️

[basuraeuropea]

so, if comfortable, can you post where you have migrated to and if you are using the same username?

[deeschmee]

1 minute ago, basuraeuropea said:

so, if comfortable, can you post where you have migrated to and if you are using the same username?

I think that's a great idea. I'm going to check out a few that were mentioned and I will certainly still use my same Avatar. All good ideas here

[CrazyRedhead]

1 hour ago, basuraeuropea said:

so, if comfortable, can you post where you have migrated to and if you are using the same username?

I haven't actually joined anywhere yet......I've just been browsing forums as a guest, and reading community guidelines if they're available to see without registering.

I've even seen one site where you have to donate money to register.....can't remember what it was, but that was somewhat surprising.

If I end up joining somewhere, I will let you know, @basuraeuropea....We have been good friends here, and I would certainly want to keep in touch with you.....

Edited December 16, 2022 by CrazyRedhead

[DogMan]

If anybody has the inclination to play https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/crazyboardsaintdead

 

I only set up "Must be logged in to view" a subforum for planning and one for journals

 

But if anyone wants to go to the effort, just register and I will click "transfer ownership" to you, and you can set it up as you wish, with whatever subforums etc. No profound skills required (Unlike self hosted like cb's)

 

 

 

I've been on lots of now defunct forums. Simple free forums like this keep some going, with mods and  admins elected by the few remaining. I can either transfer it someone, or you can use the principle to register another

 

Sorry, I am "Having a day" as Americans say. Aussie me wonders what else I would be having

 

In my experience this approach (not necessarily that particular link) keeps remnants going the longest

[coraline]

I haven't found any sites that I feel safe at or have an easy interface or doesn't feel like a cult.  Kinda think I am just going to live life outside of the internet  saddly.  I think the only way I will communicate with anyone is outside of the internet at this point.  Kinda a keep to myself and shut off from mental illness type talk for myself.  I am thinking that the way I will get support is through my pdoc and maybe tdoc.  Reserve the crazy for them.  I don't know if thats a good way to live but I feel like thats my option at this point.

 

[Wonderful.Cheese]

Let me know if anyone finds a good site with blogs on it in addition to forums. Did I make sense? Sorry. Please let me know where you guys go. Keep me updated. Thank you. 

[coraline]

Blogs is something I am having trouble finding that the content stays private.  I feel most comfortable in blogland so like cheese if you guys find anything let me know as well.

@Wonderful.Cheese I was just wondering how you are doing..its good to see you around

[aquarian]

On 12/16/2022 at 9:51 PM, DogMan said:

If anybody has the inclination to play https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/crazyboardsaintdead

 

I only set up "Must be logged in to view" a subforum for planning and one for journals

 

But if anyone wants to go to the effort, just register and I will click "transfer ownership" to you, and you can set it up as you wish, with whatever subforums etc. No profound skills required (Unlike self hosted like cb's)

 

 

 

I've been on lots of now defunct forums. Simple free forums like this keep some going, with mods and  admins elected by the few remaining. I can either transfer it someone, or you can use the principle to register another

 

Sorry, I am "Having a day" as Americans say. Aussie me wonders what else I would be having

 

In my experience this approach (not necessarily that particular link) keeps remnants going the longest

I just joined under my username here but I appear to be the only member.

[DogMan]

1 hour ago, aquarian said:

I just joined under my username here but I appear to be the only member.

Seems that way

 

All good

[the maze runner]

On 12/17/2022 at 9:21 AM, DogMan said:

If anybody has the inclination to play https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/crazyboardsaintdead

 

I only set up "Must be logged in to view" a subforum for planning and one for journals

 

But if anyone wants to go to the effort, just register and I will click "transfer ownership" to you, and you can set it up as you wish, with whatever subforums etc. No profound skills required (Unlike self hosted like cb's)

 

 

 

I've been on lots of now defunct forums. Simple free forums like this keep some going, with mods and  admins elected by the few remaining. I can either transfer it someone, or you can use the principle to register another

 

Sorry, I am "Having a day" as Americans say. Aussie me wonders what else I would be having

 

In my experience this approach (not necessarily that particular link) keeps remnants going the longest

I also joined

[DogMan]

Just now, the maze runner said:

I also joined

If nothing else it's a meeting place for planning if nothing else is settled on by the 8th 

[the maze runner]

2 hours ago, DogMan said:

If nothing else it's a meeting place for planning if nothing else is settled on by the 8th 

Ok that's a good plan. 

 

[Antecedent]

On 12/18/2022 at 12:55 AM, Wonderful.Cheese said:

Let me know if anyone finds a good site with blogs on it in addition to forums. Did I make sense? Sorry. Please let me know where you guys go. Keep me updated. Thank you. 

it does make sense. Blogs are key for me too. If we find a forum we could ask the mods to make a private forum where people could post blogs, they could have the settings so you'd have to be logged into see it and they could even (afaik) make it so only members manually added to the list (mods and members in good standing) could see the blogs forum. then we could post threads as blog entries, or have a thread we keep adding to as a blog.

[Hopelessly Broken]

I don't like that idea of a blog forum. My blog here has very few people who can see and access it, and I would rather keep it that way, because if I do decide to continue it somewhere else, it is full of content (and will always be) that falls under the type of stuff only select people can handle, and that people should have the freedom to make their own choice whether to see it and read it. It is also where the most of my autistic self and communication shows up, which clearly doesn't mix well with people who don't get how autistic communication works. I have more than enough problems in my existence already without adding that on top of them. 

Considering I seem to be one of few people who doesn't really use CB for peer support, those things are non-negotiable if I am to decide to move anywhere else. My blog is private for good reason, after all. Sort of like how I stopped about myself on the forums because there was no real point in it anymore, people have no idea how to respond and that is if they "get it" at all and whatever it is isn't beyond too much for them. 

But I'm just one person in the end. It would probably be easier to just not move at all. 

[DogMan]

we have about 2 weeks

 

i have 3 or 4 email contacts

 

if the lights go out then hopefully we can keep brainstorming somewhere. I think antecedent mentioned somewhere? or the crisis meeting place at https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/crazyboardsaintdead/

 

which i think 4 have signed up

 

i think i had an account at one of mood garden's offshoots years ago. It might have been confused who mentioned there

[coraline]

I joined the tappy talkie thing..it gave me a fight.  I am not the best at the internet.  I did notice it went easier with the second link that Dogman posted.  The one that mentions how many members that have joined.  Someday I will get better at interneting.  I would do better with an encylopedia than a search engine...help!  Does anyone remember the dewey decimal system?  Yeah.

[Fluent In Silence]

I've looked. It's quite daunting though, joining another forum. Like a kid at his first day at a new school. "Stand up and introduce yourself to everyone. Don't be shy." I don't know how to explain myself. It tends to end up with a lot of swearing and apologies. Although swearing and apologies is probably quite an accurate description of me. Should stick with that. Keep it simple. "I'm fucking sorry".

[KJ]

On 12/21/2022 at 9:32 PM, the maze runner said:

I also joined

Thanks @DogMan

[DogMan]

I think that we have 9 days to round people up 

 

We can brainstorm later 

[deeschmee]

4 minutes ago, DogMan said:

I think that we have 9 days to round people up 

 

We can brainstorm later 

I just joined too

[DogMan]

Apparently there are 10 members. Which is good

 

 

[deeschmee]

Do we know where @Cerberus will be? I'll miss him.....

[DogMan]

5 minutes ago, deeschmee said:

Do we know where @Cerberus will be? I'll miss him.....

He might be retiring to a life of solitude and isolation

[deeschmee]

1 minute ago, DogMan said:

He might be retiring to a life of solitude and isolation

😔

[deeschmee]

On 12/25/2022 at 4:51 PM, Fluent In Silence said:

I've looked. It's quite daunting though, joining another forum. Like a kid at his first day at a new school. "Stand up and introduce yourself to everyone. Don't be shy." I don't know how to explain myself. It tends to end up with a lot of swearing and apologies. Although swearing and apologies is probably quite an accurate description of me. Should stick with that. Keep it simple. "I'm fucking sorry".

I hope you tell us where you land 😁

[Cerberus]

5 hours ago, DogMan said:

He might be retiring to a life of solitude and isolation

That's about the size of it.

[DogMan]

8 minutes ago, Cerberus said:

That's about the size of it.

That's what she said

[DogMan]

Do we all fight over a lone floating door or whatever it was in titanic?

[deeschmee]

Another one I'm mot sure I mentioned is The Mighty

[iLove]

I’m truly sad about this. These boards have been a wealth of information for me for quite some time. 
 

I’m not sure if Reddit has been suggested. But there you could just make a certain number of subs, then have tags for threads to further divide them. 
 

So like r/crazyboardsmeds, then each topic could be denoted as antipsychotics, SSRIs, etc. Or r/CBantipsychotics  

I would love to see this because I spend most of my time on Reddit, and there’s a lack of good info there. 

[iLove]

On 12/24/2022 at 8:12 AM, Antecedent said:

it does make sense. Blogs are key for me too. If we find a forum we could ask the mods to make a private forum where people could post blogs, they could have the settings so you'd have to be logged into see it and they could even (afaik) make it so only members manually added to the list (mods and members in good standing) could see the blogs forum. then we could post threads as blog entries, or have a thread we keep adding to as a blog.

You can write blogs on Reddit! 

[Cerberus]

In the context of all the ideas being proposed in this thread, I would like to remind everyone that the reason CB has been a place where members have been able to post and blog in a way that allows them to freely express themselves is twofold: 1) It's a place where you are surrounded by peers also dealing with mental illness, and only peers are allowed to participate; and 2) The site is carefully moderated with the special needs of people with MI in mind. Opening up a public-facing blog at any general location poses the risk of exposing the writer to reactions based on stigma, and to sharing sensitive personal and identifying information with unsympathetic readers. CB has been like a gated community. Use caution in choosing an outlet that allows non-peers to read and react, and use special caution that you don't make yourself more easily identifiable in real life in association with your condition to people who may not understand, or might leverage your condition against you. Human beings can be especially harsh on the web.

[deeschmee]

These are very good things to keep in mind. 

9 hours ago, Cerberus said:

Human beings can be especially harsh on the web.

Facebook is notorious for this. 

[DogMan]

10 hours ago, Cerberus said:

In the context of all the ideas being proposed in this thread, I would like to remind everyone that the reason CB has been a place where members have been able to post and blog in a way that allows them to freely express themselves is twofold: 1) It's a place where you are surrounded by peers also dealing with mental illness, and only peers are allowed to participate; and 2) The site is carefully moderated with the special needs of people with MI in mind. Opening up a public-facing blog at any general location poses the risk of exposing the writer to reactions based on stigma, and to sharing sensitive personal and identifying information with unsympathetic readers. CB has been like a gated community. Use caution in choosing an outlet that allows non-peers to read and react, and use special caution that you don't make yourself more easily identifiable in real life in association with your condition to people who may not understand, or might leverage your condition against you. Human beings can be especially harsh on the web.

It can also be harsh on new members who don't take the time to meticulously study the crazyboards.org rules and philosophy 

[MiaB]

2 hours ago, DogMan said:

It can also be harsh on new members who don't take the time to meticulously study the crazyboards.org rules and philosophy 

Strange comment.  If it was intended as a dig at us, it's a little late in the day for that.

[Cerberus]

2 hours ago, DogMan said:

It can also be harsh on new members who don't take the time to meticulously study the crazyboards.org rules and philosophy 

Damn straight. Our rules and philosophy have given the members here a haven where they can be who they are and express themselves the way they need to to get better and kept them safe from the worst impulses that people exhibit on the Internet. The same applies to established members who forget who and where they are. The User Rules have always been broad and loose, and applied with discretion, taking each member's individual conditions into account, and they've served us very well. Good luck finding anything like them anywhere else.

This period before the end was provided for members to achieve closure, not as an opportunity to air grievances and settle scores. If any of that occurs here, it will be hidden immediately. CB is not going to go down in flames.