Posted by Bekka H. on February 3, 2002, at 19:06:46
In reply to Re: This board is better, posted by Dr. Bob on February 1, 2002, at 19:00:30
> > The AOL boards are "monitored," but the monitors are not trained in mental health.
>
> And do you think that makes a difference? If they "just" monitor and don't actually provide the support?
> Bob
#################################################Yes, I think it makes a huge difference. What I had in mind was something like the reasoning behind the training and analysis that psychoanalysts are required to have before they can become analysts. It is essential to "know thyself" and to understand oneself before one can be of real help to others. If we don't understand our own problems, fears, insecurities, etc, those problems can interfere with, and even exacerbate, someone else's problems. Let me give you an example. Some time ago, I met a man who is a physician. He was not my doctor. I met him socially and dated him briefly. As it turned out, he HATED female physicians, female medical students and female premedical students. Apparently, he had been jilted by two of his girlfriends when he was in medical school, and he had never worked through or gotten over being hurt and rejected. The women who rejected him were medical students and, for years, he continued to generalize his anger to ALL female physicians. Now, can you imagine this man as a psychiatrist? What if he had a female patient who was also in medical school? How could he help her? With all his unresolved hatred of those "castrating bitch" female medical students (his words), he couldn't possibly help his patient. He might even try to harm her, consciously or unconsciously.
I know that the board monitors don't engage in therapy or analysis of the message board posters, so perhaps my example is a bit extreme. The problem is, that some of the posters might try to engage others in "therapy" or "therapy by proxy" or some such thing. On the AOL boards, some of the monitors delete posts from people because they don't agree with their political views or their colorful language, but they don't delete posts that are downright cruel and potentially destructive to other members. That can be very dangerous. Mental health problems require great care and expertise, and are best left to qualified caregivers and experts.
poster:Bekka H.
thread:2808
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20011216/msgs/2835.html