Mental Health Social Network Launched

Chatting, messaging site created for consumers, mental health professionals, and family members

From Examiner.com by Cheryl Phillips, December 3, 2009

Mental Health Social has launched a new social network. The site is designed to allow people with mental health conditions to connect in a comfortable and private online environment.

The company president and CEO, Colin Spencer Wood, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1999.

"When people suffer from mental health conditions, they can sometimes feel isolated," Wood said in a statement. "There might not be anyone else in a patient's life that has experienced their condition, which can make it difficult for family and friends to relate or understand what they're going through. MentalHealthSocial.com eliminates those feelings of isolation by bringing people with similar experiences together. Sometimes people just need someone to talk to who really understands whatever mental health condition they're dealing with."

With Facebook -like features users can share information about themselves, post videos, upload audio or photos, and offer help. There is email, instant messaging, chat, blogging, status updates, commenting, and forums, as well as free classifieds and events. Users can create private areas to communicate with others with similar conditions.

Social networking has risen in popularity for healthcare providers. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control is using Twitter, YouTube, and even games to spread information about swine flu. Many hospitals and healthcare companies are using Twitter, Facebook and more to connect with the public.

The introduction of MentalHealthSocial.com is a new way to connect those who want to talk about their mental health problems but may not feel comfortable doing that to friends or co-workers. The anonymous factor gives people a way to share and connect as well as find resources for help.

Privacy is a huge factor that is often overlooked in social networking. A study by the Journal of the American Medical Association shows med students often behave unprofessionally on social networks, even violating patient confidentiality.

When using any social media site, including MentalHealthSocial.com, it is important to make sure your privacy settings are set to make sure your identity is not exposed unless you feel comfortable with that.

The site is at http://mentalhealthsocial.com. NAMI California cites this news a community service, not as an endoresement.

Source: Examiner.com

Link: http://www.examiner.com/x-14552-social-media-examiner~y2009m12d3-mental-health-social-network-is-launched