Rebecca Foster

Health issues and concerns has become a viable option to traditional methods of therapy-based support from professionals and groups. Through observation of one chat room assembled for the purpose of providing relief for sufferers who are unable or unwilling to incorporate conventional routines, I have found that on-line facilitation can be very healing for some, but should not be intended to entirely replace a licensed professional. Also, aspects such as a creation of a virtual self and communication patterns in the development of a "virtual community" are applied to test the trustworthiness of this new medium.

Psych Central is a room operated by the Webchat Broadcasting System (WBS). WBS (http://wbs.net/ ) is considered to be the largest chat and event center on the World Wide Web, with a membership of over one million people and an average of 3,000 new members daily. Over 200 chat rooms attract users on a variety of topics such as community, entertainment, business, and current events. The makers of WBS claim they can provide an environment that fosters perspective friendships among new members by allowing them to share interests and experiences they have in common. The focus is on providing an effective, easy-to-access atmosphere which gives the user with a real sense of community. It is a meaningful way to talk with thousands of people worldwide on any topic anytime, anywhere.

Psych Central is no exception to the purpose and goals of the WBS. This chat room provides its followers with an aren a where personal problems, issues, and illnesses can be met with helpful and responsive insight provided by those people involved in the room. The variety and number of users provides a forum incorporating a vast range of experiences and opinions. Dr. John Grohol assisted to the framework of the room by setting standards and policies relating to mental health and psychological issues, and is a regular contributor to discussion. He warns that the room is not meant to replace advice or care from a credible, licensed professional. Instead, members should benefit from the first-hand knowledge they can acquire, anonymity, and referral to organizations that have been tried by the users for help. Another important aspect involves the fact that some people simply find it hard to talk to "real" people, that is, people who they have to confront others in reality as they know it. Psych Central provides these people with more security and strength to discuss their problems, and possibly give them courage to reinforce their social skills and interaction with people in their real life.

While WBS is a large community overall, Psych Central is extremely small in comparison. The group usually has less than twenty people on at one time, and I am guessing that it has approximately thirty to forty people who regularly visit the room. Therefore, the sense of structure of the group is loosely based. However, the chat room has the makings of a good community. The regulars have refined the rough edges to provide an atmosphere entailing mutual respect, unity, and spirit. They are effective at sharing values and concerns, problem-solving, and decision-making to achieve goals of assistance and evaluation. Although there are people who spend much time and effort in the chat space, they are not considered "leaders" who enforce rules, but rather, someone to look up to and model conversational patterns.

Psych Central tries to overcome many of the obstacles that face a structured community. The impermanence is central to the idea that it is hard for individuals to develop lasting and sufficient relationships through this medium. The highly volatile membership and time constraints hinder many attempts at constructing a permanent environment where members know each other's concerns. This predicament was once addressed by users when some people could not remember problems discussed earlier in the week. People were upset and felt like they were not important enough to recall. Ways to solve this were discussed, such as keeping notes alongside the computer with names, feelings, and dilemmas. Various issues are discussed as to how to improve interaction, and everyone usually participates with creative ways to alleviate other doubts in the community. Members also have to make up for the lack of face-to-face conversation and social context data that is usually seen as crucial by psychologists in forming a bond of trust for those seeking therapy. Members try to make each other feel as if they are part of a group, connected by many associations, such as education, geography, gender, etc. I have found that a possible reason why there is such a wonderful bond formed is due the fact that most members are either female, students, or pursuing interests in psychology. Also, there are a handful of people who are a little older than the average, and try to hand down their wisdom to younger members. People make an attempt to gather their positive attributes and use them to further listen and evaluate other's concerns. W BS sets up the general, explicit rules registered users must follow. They state that chat is intended to be appropriate for members of all ages, and posting any indecent material viewable by members is prohibited. Through registration, people must agree to adhere to this policy, and to legally assume full and sole responsibility for postings. Also, WBS is not liable for any negative results arising from the activities of its members on their system. Psych Central has relatively little need for any form of governance to control its community. Members generally have an implicit understanding of what is allowed in the room. I only encountered one consequence of any wrongdoing. L. is a frequent and longtime member of the group. Someone discovered her password and used her handle to interact with others. Unable to identify the offender, L. had to completely change her password and handle and re-introduce herself to the group. Since L. is usually on every day, most people were confused for a while as to who she was. It was the responsibility for everyone to pass the information around to recognize the new handle and ignore the old one. Also, everyone can enforce restrictions against other members if there is offense, simply by using the "ignore these people" function. By typing in their name, members will not receive any messages sent out by the offender. Users can help to enforce their own standards of censorship. WBS has the fortunate capabilities of allowing users of any standard Web browser to interact in live conversation on the Web, without downloading additional software. Users can combine certain elements, such as audio, video, and images into the real-time chat, since WBS can handle most of the transitions needed for an effect to occur. The popularity of the WBS is due to its free-to-use on-line service that is open to anyone who has access to the Web. Registration for membership is free and confidential. All that is needed is an e-mail address to help process and verify the member's handle and password. Users are not limited to their access by location and many people of all ages from around the world are involved.

Most of the communication/interaction between the members on Psych Central occurs through the real-time conversation displayed on the screen. The time it takes to read a message is relatively fast, since there is an option to choose from to calculate the response rate, or average time it takes to give new messages. There is a pause button, so one doesn't miss any of the new, incoming messages while a comment is written. Also, messages can be sent to anyone in private, so members can transmit and receive comments of a more personal manner. WBS allows the option during registration of whether a new member would like e-mail postings sent to them concerning upcoming events or concerns.

Dr. John Grohol provides a chance for members to ask him questions every Wednesday, giving professional insight and advice, along with caring words of wisdom. He gives referrals for support on-line, and offers informative opinions about psychological issues. By doing so, he often helps redefine the goals of the community by offering an example of how effective therapy and discussion should take place. Much of the focus of Psych Central relies on the wellness of its members. I have discussed issues relating to suicide, abusive partners, couples, and depression, just to name a few. I have noticed that there are usually 2-3 people on at a time who have the problems/dilemmas they need help with. Everyone else is very responsive and jump at the opportunity to assist them. Even though the supporters are trying to show their concern, being bombarded with many differing opinions and comments can be confusing for an individual. Also, it is hard to get an accurate and thorough response, since many members are concentrating on only one problem, and ignoring others.

I encountered this problem when the members were caught up in a discussion about nightmares, and B. G. signed on with a statement saying she needed someone to talk to about her abusive husband. At first, it was very difficult to give advice because I didn't know her or all the factors of the relationship. However, after we began sending messages and I felt more comfortable asking her about details, my responses came naturally to me. I felt a real form of commitment and responsibility to help her find the courage to initially detach herself from the relationship, develop trust in others, and seek professional help. We chatted that day for over two hours, with people detaching themselves from the discussion of nightmares to offer their insight. Even though it was helpful, we felt the need to discuss this more in private, and we enlisted the help of the "private message" option. This enabled her to receive a more focused message, not one that was continually interrupted by random thoughts.

The nature of communication and interaction is very kind and sincere, but at times, contains a hint of sarcasm. The so called "leaders", or long-standing members of the group use this bitter attitude to direct the new members of the room into the conversational norm. This norm follows the idea of therapy-based, support group theme, and any deterrence from this pattern results in ostracism of those users. For example, T. M. was joking around one day and asking others if they were psychic, and if so, would they help him by foretelling his future. Since there wasn't much going on at the time, I decided to tell him I had some psychic abilities. After we began this conversation, many of the leaders and members immediately assured the others that this was indeed a therapy group, and to disregard any of the "nonsense" that T. M. and I were talking about. We were basically ignored the rest of the time. This experience shows that the long-standing members do have control in the way the conversation leans, and any obstruction from this is not tolerated. This control greatly influences the way conversation is structured. Much of the content is shaped to follow the purpose and goals of the group, that is, to provide its members with a caring and beneficial environment, not one that distracts and deceives from its intentions. Veterans immediately try to persuade new members into this type of therapeutic interaction. Many people sign on and have questions asking what topic is being discussed, assuming there is one central issue and that is all anyone is reviewing. Also, people are occasionally confused as to what kind of room Psych Central is. Initially members believe it is either a place of psychologically based theory, a form of a psychic network, or a place for psychotics to hang out. My basic finding is that people learn the rules as they go, and through the help of others, begin to formulate their own standing and presence essential to the continuation of this community.

Language has evolved to compensate for any drawbacks to the non-face-to-face exchanges. Some users use a conversational short hand in the absence of faster transmission. A set of acronyms and symbols have been developed through the system to let them communicate more quickly and easily by minimizing the typing needed to convey an emotion. Simple, but emotional symbols such as facial expressions made from punctuation marks have been developed. Also, phrases such as "thinking of you" are shortened to (TOY). Some are common only to Psych Central, such as the use of the letter T to stand for therapist. To enrich daily conversations, users have developed this new form of language to transmit feelings faster, and perhaps even better than words do.

Virtual communities, such as Psych Central, prepare an opportunity for an individual to alter his or her identity as a result of the anonymity and confidentiality of membership. In this chat room, people act quite differently than the norm (as I know it) in the average, daily life without interaction with computers. Members must behave differently to meet the type of communication specified in the room, that is, they should limit gossip, fighting, and everyday banter (which of course, is allowed, but should be kept to a minimum) to get to the purposeful conversations. Users are expected to put on their "therapist hats" and assume full responsibility in helping others. People do not appear as professional therapists when not on-line. This phenomenon only changes the way others perceive our selves. However, I believe that everyone's permanent self is changed slightly by strengthening our beliefs and values. When I helped B. G., I felt like a stronger individual because I helped her find courage and strength, and also reinforced my value and worth. Even though members presented themselves with odd and eccentric handles, I noticed that no one was like the name with which they presented themselves. My handle was a bit outlandish for my otherwise shy and reserved demeanor. I didn't notice anyone taking advantage of the lack of boundaries to change who they really are (unless being caring and supportive was not who they were). People generally didn't change their image, since the main purpose of the room relies on other's concerns, and thought is not centered on egotistical motives, unless issues were one's one. Psych Central does not represent the ideal environment to experience with gender-bending, erratic behavior, and other deviations from the norm.

On-line support groups and therapy can provide many elements different from what a skilled, mental health professional is able to provide. For example, users of Psych Central receive the advice of one's peers, who often speak from personal experience. Most professionals only have second-hand knowledge. In smaller, real-life communities, an individual may not find a group for a rare illness, but with the Net at their disposal, they have the whole world to interact with and gain knowledge and access on any topic imaginable. The chat room and the Internet in general can arrange a safe, anonymous atmosphere where sufferers don't have to worry about the stigma still attached to many mental illnesses and health matters. Anonymity can give people the courage they need, unlike regular support groups and call-in radio programs, where people feel more uncomfortable knowing someone may find out about their condition. Virtual communities can give people leverage to see a real-life therapist. Also, sufferers of agoraphobia, a disorder that isolates and commits individuals to their homes, may be able to benefit from advice and therapy given to them in the safety of their own home.

Real-life therapy is still the best approach to thorough and effective treatment. To seek help with a serious disorder, one must reach a real professional. The Net has not met this demand, and only a small percentage of credible and respectable therapists provide aspects of their practice on-line. Also, it is obvious that necessary medication for mental illness is not, or ever will be, available on the Net. Psych Central is by no means an adequate place for serious mental illness sufferers to seek treatment; too much time in the room or even the wrong advice may be detrimental to their existence. Caution must be observed by all members of a chat room relating to group therapy. Even being a psychology student, I do not know what the true, appropriate advice was to give to B. G. I could have given her the most effective and beneficial opinion, or I could have placed her in harm's way. Therefore, advice from the virtual world must be taken with a grain of salt.

In conclusion, I have found that this virtual space is utilized by its members as more like a comforting atmosphere than a stable community. Even though it has dimensions to validate itself as a form of community, most people only see it as a place to get a way from their own society. In general, I have learned that people seek environments to meet their own purposes, and Psych Central meets the expectations of users as a compassionate surrounding for their needs. Time will only tell whether more adequate resources and assistance will be available on-line, and if a heightened sense of community will ensue.