Depression Chat Rooms - Anxiety Chat Rooms

Introduction

At the present time this website hosts one main chat room designed for peer support for both depression and anxiety (and other related health concerns).

We insist that all members take a few minutes to read the chat room guide below. In order for us to not stifle conversation and expression with a mass of rules and regulations, we ask that you simply treat others as you wish to be treated.

Chat Room Guide

• You must demonstrate empathy, understanding, and respect at all times
• To observe all directives by room moderators. Also called Ops, room moderators have vast experience and understanding of chat etiquette. Anything conveyed by an Op is for the greater good of the room. You can identify an Op by an @ symbol next to their chat name. Arguments or challenges with room moderators is not acceptable practice
• You are expected to use a single nickname when entering the chat rooms. It is important that your fellow chatters are able to identify you immediately – this promotes trust and confidence
• The chat rooms have been set up to act as supportive environments for those suffering with depression and other related health concerns. Although many suffering from depression have suicidal ideation, the glorification of suicide is strictly prohibited. You are also hereby informed to avoid going into extreme graphic detail regarding suicide or self harm. Either writing about, or posting a website which advocates suicide or self harm will result in an immediate ban from the channels
  
• These chat rooms are designed for quick access when needed, therefore, you are welcome to stay logged in 24 hours a day. You are asked to mark yourself as away when you are not at your computer. This can be done easily using the /nick command. Marking yourself as being away will prevent others from feeling ignored if they should try and start talking to you
• The use of strong profanities or chat of a sexually explicit nature is not permitted. Please keep in mind that these chat rooms offer support to those suffering from depression and/or anxiety. This is not a dating site
• Private Messaging(PM)/Whispering is supported by this site. However, please keep in mind that many people come in and out of these chat rooms, and it is important that they do not feel ignored. Think how you would feel if you were in crisis, only to enter a support room and no one is there to listen due to everyone being in private conversations. If you do enter a PM, please change your nickname fittingly with the /nick command. Further, this website cannot be held responsible for any content in a PM. Private Messages are just that, private; not even the room moderators have access to them. It is very important that you enter PMs cautiously, and report any unwanted behavior during a PM to a room moderator
• First and foremost the chat rooms are for depression/anxiety peer support. Although it is understood that going off-subject is natural, and will often help others feel better, please pay close attention when the subject needs to drift back to supporting a chatter with their depression/anxiety
• Privacy is important to all human beings. Do not put another chatter on the spot by asking for personal information, such as e-mail address, MSN name, home address or telephone number in the public of the chat rooms. It is unfair and unwelcome
• The rooms are not affiliated with any religious group, and all are welcome. You are only asked to respect others beliefs and opinions. You are also asked not to preach to others about your own opinions. As they say… no religion, no politics
• It is appreciated that the Internet is a vast medium and chatters are most likely involved in many different digital avenues. You are asked, however, when you are in the chat rooms that you only mention websites that are relevant to the ongoing discussion. Please do not join the chat rooms to merely advertise other sites you may use, for example: myspace, facebook etc
• Please understand this site is made up of volunteers, many of whom suffer from depression/anxiety of their own. There are no mental health professionals affiliated with this site. Therefore, you are asked to please refrain from threatening to take your own life. This causes great unrest for many, and may act as a trigger for others. If you are in crisis, please contact your local emergency services
• We acknowledge that people who suffer from depression/anxiety will sometimes self-medicate with alcohol and/or drugs, and it is expected that these subjects will be broached during general chat. You are however asked not to focus entire conversations on substance use and/or abuse.  These subjects should not take over whole conversations, nor should they get in the way of providing support to others. Further, if  a subject is making a  single chatter uncomfortable, you are asked to show respect by changing the topic of conversation
• All countries and cultures are more than welcome to visit the chat rooms. We do however stress that public conversations be limited to the English language only. This is an attempt to reduce the possibility of anyone being unable to follow the conversations unfolding
• Entering links to other websites (URLs) is allowed as long as the links relate to the individual talking and the general conversation occurring (and are within our wider rules). We do not consider random or repetitive URLs to be of much value to the overall running of these depression and anxiety chat rooms, and you are asked to consider how relevant links to other sites are before submitting them
• Please assist the room moderators by reporting any misuse of the chat rooms. If an Op is not present please Contact Us directly. Thank you
• Advertising similar sites within the room is considered bad form; moreover these chat rooms are not to be linked to any external resource without written permission from us. Most importantly, the promotion of  pro-suicide sites is strictly prohibited and will result in a permanent ban
• The chat rooms are set up for individuals aged 16 and above. By entering, you are validating that you are at least 16 years of age. If you are younger than 16, there are plenty of chat resource available to you where you will be most welcome, and probably feel more at home
• In addition to any of the conditions listed above, please also take heed of the following two prohibited activities:
  a.       Use of chat room logs as research. Reproduction of any kind is against our rules and will result in legal action
  b.      No one who uses the chat room should claim to be a mental health professional, nor should the chat room be used for counseling or online therapy meetings. It is impractical for this site to validate individual professionals, and false claims of this nature could be catastrophic to our valued  members

Room Moderators/Ops/Hosts

• Please always remember that the room moderators are volunteers that are giving their time to make these chat rooms safe environments for all. Please show Ops profound respect
• If you are experiencing a problem in the chat rooms, please contact an Op right away by double clicking their nickname to speak to them privately. Please do not bring up problematic issues in the public of the chat rooms
• The most important factor to remember concerning room moderators is that they initially entered the chat rooms due to their own depression/anxiety issues. Hosts not only make sure the chat rooms run efficiently, but frequent the chat rooms to give and receive peer support just as any other member

Please click one of the options below to either accept or reject these guidelines. Note: If you persistently violate these terms and conditions your account may be deleted. I am 16 years old or above and: