A Reach Out! user recently emailed the following feedback on why she prefers seeking help online as opposed to face-to-face support groups: “I think it's easier to talk about things online as you can leave whenever you feel like it. For instance, if you feel as though you are becoming too 'open' on the forums then you can leave for a while and take a breather, while if you are part of a support group in real life then you kind of have to go and people get more concerned in real life if you don’t show up.

I feel as though you have more freedom online, than in real life, because no one’s FORCING you to talk about stuff, you can write what YOU like, and answer only the questions that you want to answer, and ask only the questions you want to ask.

Secondly, the anonymity factor of the forum, i.e no one can judge you because they don’t exactly know you. The anonymity is also good because if you have a problem which you really don’t want to discuss in real life first, then you can ask others and get their opinions on how to approach the problem.

I think people are much more honest online than in real life. For example, many people would never tell anyone in real life that they self-harm. They’d be judged and they’d be looked down upon as a ‘freak’, but online you can tell others and they can tell you. Finally, in real life it’s hard to talk about things because you could get upset and start to cry, while online you can be upset but no one has to see and that makes it easier to talk about things.”

www.reachout.com.au