User Guide to alt.support.depression

These notes are intended to help users of asd (alt.support.depression) get more out of the ng (newsgroup). It tries to be descriptive, partly because it can't be prescriptive -- there are no rules, and these notes don't try to make any. They describe one person's view (amended in response to what others say) of how to get the best from asd, and how to put the least extra stress into it.

We are gathered here today in the presence of depression, but even that's not a rule. There is no way anyone can control who reads this ng, or who posts to it, or what they post to it. Bear that in mind, especially if you feel you don't want the world to read about you, or to judge you on what you write. If you still want to write, but need anonymity, there are anonymous remailers available. Many people on asd use the twwells server which only posts to the various support ngs (for details, send email to help@anon.twwells.com). Try a search on the Web to find information on Anonymous Remailers if twells doesn't suit you -- there are others.

Feel free to read for a while before posting. It's called lurking in Netspeak, and is recommended practice throughout the Net. Here, if you need to, jump straight in -- we don't usually bite (only if you try to sell us something we don't want, or tell us the one and only true cure - - it won't be, by the way :). Netiquette generally applies, but if in doubt, ask. This is a support group, and people will try to help. If you have a real problem (as opposed to a Net or group related one), ask and damn the netiquette! This is an unusual group anyway, so we don't always follow Net rules to the letter.

First, a little bit about language. Remember, it is a wide world, and anyone anywhere with a Net connection can post here, not just from within the USA (singled out as seemingly the only country whose residents forget the Net is world wide). Not everyone uses the same variety of English, and not everyone has English as their first language. Not every post is in English (but almost all are). Don't quibble about spelling or grammar. (If in doubt, get an English-English dictionary. They do exist!) Spelling flames are a feature of the Net we generally manage to avoid here and they are discouraged elsewhere on the Net too; it's bad Netiquette to criticize someone for their choice of words or how they spell things.

As to what Netiquette is (or the Internet, if that's new to you too), the newsgroup "news.announce.newusers" contains a lot of introductory information. All new users should read and fully understand all the documents in news.announce.newusers. (Well, that's what it says if you go there!) Probably the most relevant document there is "A Primer on How to Work With the Usenet Community" (relevant to Netiquette, that is). I've included the Summary of Things to Remember from it at the end of these Notes, but the whole thing is well worth reading.

There are some terms used in asd which aren't in common use in the wide world; some are Net terms and some relate to depression. A companion to these Notes is a list of Acronyms and Abbreviations which is posted to asd every week or so. I think that covers most, er, acronyms and abbreviations used in asd. There is also a list of Slang terms used on asd posted each week (usually), but here are a few of the abbreviations and words you may be unfamiliar with, or which can have unusual meanings here:

AD

Antidepressant -- medication which helps to balance the brain chemicals disordered in depression or bipolar disorder. MAOIs, SSRIs and TCAs are all types of AD. (See the acronyms list for full meanings :)

BPD

This can be used to mean bi-polar disorder or borderline personality disorder. It's perhaps best to spell it out the first time you use it (and ask if you're not sure which meaning someone else is using). Using BP for bi-polar is safer (unless there's any mention of blood-pressure!)

BTW

By the way.

Crash

A period in the Pit or close to it.

ECT

Electro-convulsive therapy. Not as bad as it once was, but still not a treatment to try before all the others have been given a chance (except in very unusual circumstances).

Flame

A flame is criticising someone, or making a personal attack on them, rather than debating their ideas. Used throughout the Internet.

Hugs

The electronic equivalent of a physical embrace, meant to convey compassion, friendship, comfort. You may see brackets [hugs], braces {hugs}, or parentheses (hugs) used, usually in multiples; e.g. {{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}. Sometimes the word -hugs- is used; sometimes, the intended recipient's name.

IRC

Internet relay chat. A way of getting (nearly) real-time communication using the Internet. Various chat-rooms and channels exist whose mainsubject is depression, and a guide to how to use them is published on asd every so often.

Newbie

It just means a newcomer to the Net or asd. Used throughout the Internet. It is not intended to be insulting!

(the) Pit

I could wax eloquent on this, except when I'm in it! It's a name for an intense depressive episode which is usually of shorter duration than the medical definition of a major depressive episode. Other terms are used, such as the beast, or the black dog -- we all have our own images (much as we'd like to forget them). Some posters refer to -being on the edge of the Pit- or - circling the drain- or - feeling Pitish- to describe the feeling of an impending crash.

Spam

"To cause a newsgroup to be flooded with irrelevant or inappropriate messages." A newsgroup can be spammed with as little as one message (e.g. asking "Why don't you all just smile and be happy?" here). According to the Blacklist of Internet Advertisers, to be spam, it mustn't be cross-posted (the same copy sent to more than one newsgroup). If it is cross-posted, it becomes Velveeta which can cause even more trouble, especially where the ngs chosen have a different approach to a common subject; one post will then spam both groups. This is the main reason cross-posting to or from asd is discouraged. Used throughout the Internet.

Spoiler

A warning placed at the beginning of a post or in its title to possible readers of that post that the contents may upset them. Used throughout the Internet (but spoilers are more frequently used here than in most ngs, simply because readers here are more likely to be upset).

Troll

A troll is a person who posts a article designed to annoy the users of a newsgroup. Used throughout the Internet.

Velveeta

See spam. Used throughout the Internet.

YMMV

Your mileage may vary. This is almost asd's motto, I think. We are here to try to help each other, but it's best to bear in mind that we all react differently, and what works for one person, will not necessarily work for another. As yet, there is no, one cure. (Whether there is any cure is a matter debated here every so often!)

Feel free to loiter round the edges for as long as you like. With luck, you will get the answers and help you need without asking. There is a FAQ posted at intervals (FAQ = frequently asked/answered questions) and a booklist. They contain answers to common questions. The main one is posted at fortnightly intervals to asd, alt.answers and news.answers. If it's not in the group at present, post a request for it. It's available on the Web at: home, along with a lot of other asd related stuff.

If you do ask, say if you really NEED help. There is no rota of helpers who take it in turns to deal with posts. If you have an urgent problem, say so. You are unlikely to be ignored anyway, but if you make it clear you are having a major crisis, you will be up to your ears (eyes?) in responses. Use the _header_ or _subject_ and say URGENT or HELP or some such. Make us notice. Don't be afraid to ask for help or information (try not to be anyway; some of us have been here a while, and still find it hard to ask for help). This is generally a friendly, caring and supportive group. We are here to help each other, after all.

It is wise, if asking for help, to try not to invest too much emotional capital in it. While you are more likely to come up trumps, you may just get trumped. If you don't get a response after a while, post again, WITH EVEN MORE CAPITALS! We _all_ have off days. It is also worth-while considering that this is cyberspace, that posts get lost, or take days to work there way around the whole of the Internet. You may have posted, but we may not have received!

Headers or titles for posts are important. Try to give yours a short (some software or providers crop them) and descriptive title. Some particularly important additions are the following:

If you aren't looking for help, but want a place to let off steam, label it RANT, and say whatever you like;

CUTTING; lots of people don't like to read about this;

HUMOUR; another one some people like, others don't;

Please remember that there are those here who have been hurt by religion, and those here who have been helped by it. Please try to be considerate of the feelings of each. If you need to post in this territory, put RELIGION in the subject.

It also helps, if you have a query about a specific medicine or therapy, to put it in the title (not only will it make it more likely you'll get a quick response, but it will let people who have no knowledge, or interest in that subject skip the thread -- asd is busy, and few of us manage to read every post).

You are likely to generate "me too" follow-ups; you may have a problem none of us has shared, but don't count on it! Most newsgroups don't like "me too"s, but here, so long as they are supportive, no-one's likely to object.

This is a no-flame zone. Try not to flame even the most obvious trolls. It's usually worth asking why they did it. Even if you don't want to help them, trolls can have problems like ours. Being a no-flame zone doesn't mean we have to agree with everyone else; being in asd means we try not to beat each other up!

This is a no-flame zone, but other groups are not! Be careful when responding to posts which are made to more than asd (check the headers). If they are cross-posted (posted to more than one group) please reply only to this group (edit out the others). If you don't, you risk us getting strange and sometimes very unpleasant replies.

The Internet is world wide, so bear that in mind when giving answers. Sometimes a locally-bound answer is the right thing, when the problem is local, but don't expect such an answer to apply across the world. It probably won't, and someone's likely to point that out.

If giving advice, don't be too dogmatic. Ardent or missionary zeal is unlikely to go down well, no matter what it is applied to (whether about religion, a particular therapy or drug, or the relative merits of cats and dogs). We are all different, we all react differently to the same drugs, therapies and situations, let alone different ones.

Occasionally, members of the group will try to redefine the world (or asd). These attempts are, at worst, harmless though irritating (sometimes even infuriating). At best they can throw up much enlightening information and different views of what you may not even have seen as a problem. Treat accordingly, but remember to try not to flame!

Stick to text! This is not a binaries news group. Posting a picture (other than ASCII art) or an executable file telling us how to make a million (insert local currency here) takes up a lot of bandwidth, and costs money to download. There's also the risk that too big a load in the ng can get it dropped by ISPs!

When posting a follow-up (a reply to another post), be careful about what you include from the prevous post. There are various ideas about how best to deal with this (occasionally contentious) matter; what follows are my views:

Include enough of the previous post to let people know what you're following up. It can be irritating to have to try to work out whose post you are replying to.

Don't include more than you need to. This is the hardest to give any precise advice on, but to include a pages long post and follow it with nothing but "Me too!" does annoy some people.

It is commonest to put your reply after the preceding post. It isn't a rule (there aren't any, rememeber?), and for long, point by point responses, mixing post and reply works best, in my opinion. Some people put their response at the top, and quote the post afterwards. This annoys some people (but then, what doesn't?), but works for short posts.

When you are snipping posts to include only the good bits, be careful when it's one that has had several contributors -- try to get the right name to go with the text. We all prefer to have the right words attributed to us; I was once misquoted as saying heck, which got me miffed enough to complain. Worse examples have been known though. :)

Remember, there really are no rules, and these are definitely not examples of them.

Summary of Things to Remember
From "A Primer on How to Work With the Usenet Community"
news.announce.newusers

Never forget that the person on the other side is human.
Don't blame system admins for their users' behavior.
Never assume that a person is speaking for their organization.
Be careful what you say about others.
Be brief.
Your postings reflect upon you; be proud of them.
Use descriptive titles
Think about your audience.
Be careful with humor and sarcasm.
Only post a message once.
Please rotate material with questionable content. (i.e., use ROT13)
Summarize what you are following up.
Use mail, don't post a follow-up.
Read all follow-ups and don't repeat what has already been said. (Positive comments are generally exempt from this rule on asd :)
Double-check follow-up newsgroups and distributions.
Be careful about copyrights and licenses.
Cite appropriate references.
When summarizing, summarize.
Mark or rotate answers or spoilers.
Spelling flames considered harmful.
Don't overdo signatures.
Limit line length and avoid control characters.
Please do not use Usenet as a resource for homework assignments.
Please do not use Usenet as an advertising medium.
Avoid posting to multiple newsgroups.