If you think help is taking your troubles to a crowd-sourced group of wannabe therapists, this is your forum. The game here is competing who is sickest (members brag about their diagnoses and medication), who had the most abusive childhood and who is neediest.

Youre also encouraged to share idolizing fantasies about your T (their shorthand for therapist) and count down the hours until you see the T-god again. The crowd is certain how therapy, healing and even life work and often preach that being obsessed with and attached to your therapist is the healthiest thing that can happen to you.

Another popular game is psychoanalyzing you, blaming, and shaming you. The more youre hurting, the more the crowd who consider themselves masters at therapyseem to pile on with self-righteous accusations. Though diagnosing you technically is against the rules, that doesnt seem to discourage anyone. Theyll declare your pathological flaws with great enthusiasm over your painful protests. Ad hominem attacks are selectively moderated, with the most enthusiastic therapy boosters allowed free rein to bully others.

If your therapy is going poorly the frequent consensus will beits your fault. No matter how your therapist abuses you, he really didnt mean it, or meant something else, or punishment is good for you, or youre the sort whos never satisfied. The gallery has great confidence that they understand what your therapist meant, particularly if that excuses the therapists poor practice. Or like a bad therapist, theyll invalidate your perception by attributing it to transference. You dont know whats good for you; this mob of sanctimonious strangers does.

If this is your idea of support, youll likely find it at Psych Central.