Posted by sb417 on August 3, 2004, at 2:23:09
In reply to Re: continuing to read » Dr. Bob, posted by chemist on August 2, 2004, at 19:52:14
> hello there, tjm here: i like your proposition. may i post a thread on this board and/or the meds board to avoid posts by jlb121, in that they are false, misleading, and dangerous? yet he has risen (today) with the same post that could truly lead one of the roughly 2 million visitors to this forum per month to make a potentially detrimental meds change based on assertive yet completely false information. all the best, tjm
This has been one of my main concerns about PB since I began reading here several years ago. There are numerous posts that contain false, misleading and downright dangerous "prescriptions" from posters who have no medical or science background except perhaps their own self medication. Although many readers are sophisticated enough to see through these posts and take them with a grain of salt, there are many others who come here thinking that this is a medical advice forum. I wish that Dr. Bob would hire someone who would comb through the posts on a daily basis and correct false, dangerous and misleading information. It is also important for readers to realize that response to medication is highly individual, and what works well for one person can kill another. If something works well for you, that's terrific, but don't ever assume that it will work well for others, and DON'T "prescribe" it to someone you've never met over the Internet. Just as there are civility rules and endless posts about the importance of "I" statements, shouldn't there be rules regarding the wording of medication posts?
For example, instead of saying something like, "This tricyclic can be combined with anything including an MAOI and there's no need to worry as long as you start with a low dose of TCA," wouldn't it be safer to say, "This particular combination worked well for me; however, it can pose some dangers if not done carefully, so please discuss it with your doctor." Dr. Bob, you often ask posters to re-phrase their posts in order to make them civil. How about requiring the SELF-appointed prescribers to re-phrase their posts in order to make them safe? Many people say they prefer PB over other mental health boards because it's a "safe place." The Psychobabble definition of safety should be expanded to include safety from very real physical dangers.
poster:sb417
thread:371921
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20040717/msgs/373477.html