PsychCentralReviews 46

I have repeatedly seen people who are not supporters of, nor believers in widespread use of psychiatric meds and talk-therapy be bashed without restraint or relent. I have been a member of PsychCentral for over 5 years, and gradually I have been pushed out of more and more activities by the admin-supported clique. What I find most distressing is the hypocrisy of a site that touts "member support", but only for those members who adhere to the rather strict site culture and defer to it's favorites.

I was referred to this review site in a forum post by the owner of PsychCentral, who is soliciting 'positive reviews' from members. I find this to be a poignant reminder of how the site is run (hide the dark stuff), and by whom.

I have been a member of PsychCentral for over 5 yrs. I stumbled upon it when I was in the depths of despair and wanting to end it all. While I couldn't join the chat room that day, you have to have 5 posts, I spent a lot of time reading what others were going through and realized that things could get better. I have never had a real problem with other members. I have found many friends on PC and have even traded phone numbers with a few. PC is celebrating its 20th year this year, and with that they gave away free t-shirts. I wear mine with pride and tell others what it is about when asked. Doc John is a well-rounded guy who gives his best, along with the other administrators, to keep PC a safe place.

... you get what you put into it.

That may not sound encouraging to some, but it's true. Yes, there have been times where I've posted that I haven't received the responses I've hoped for. But I've never been attacked. And I find that, while I may not have met a million friends, I have had different opportunities there. I have been a community liaison; I have made close connections with others on the site. I tend to fluctuate between being really active and only checking in once in a while to respond to personal messages. As someone who has been active on the site for almost four years, I can honestly say that this site helps me feel like there is a safety net between me and nothing when everything else fails.

Is everyone there perfect? NO. The site is not filled with professionals who are going to tell me what I need to hear all the time. It is filled with flawed human beings who are also suffering with their own stuff. If someone says something that's out of line, I either ignore it, report it, or just tell them that what they've said is out of line. Kind of like the rest of life.:)

Good site overall; glad I've found it. One thing that works consistently for me: if I'm having a bad day, and I don't feel like I'm being heard, I reach out to others and give them the support they need, rather than waiting for it to come to me. Might sound cliché, but it works. I've made incredible friendships that way, and really, that's how it works: the therapeutic value of one person helping another.

To be blunt, some of these very negative reviews seem to be from people who don't know what they're on about or who have had a limited field of vision, so to speak.

Having actually been on the site for years, life-long suffered from mental health problems, and been involved with some of the CST, I can tell you that Psych Central is a good site. I am not being biased.

PC does not nor has it ever (to my knowledge) stigmatized mental health, and the idea of that is quite offensive to me and surely to the people who work hard to make sure someone like me has someone safe to go within the great wide web.

Have I always agreed with the team? No. That's not reason enough to slander an entire website and demean all the good they have done. Believe me when I say I have seen some terrible websites out there that are worthy of a 1 star, Psych Center, however, is not.

So, with all this said, why only 4 stars? Because I'm quite a literal person, and I see "You love it so much you want to tell the entire world," which simply isn't the case. Due to the nature of the site and personal information (related to one's life and problems) shared, I certainly wouldn't want to tell the world all about it, but if I know someone who's struggling, the first place I think of when I want to suggest a website, is of course Psych Central.

Thanks for reading.

While no website is ever perfect, PsychCentral comes close when it comes to support for those who have questions about, are suffering from, or caring for someone with mental unwellness. I've been a member of several other supposed support sites and had to leave for my own well-being in that even offering support to others was a call for attack by others.
I've been at PsychCentral for ten years, fairly active, and can always find those who can use my support, and information for which I am looking. It often pops up on my goggle and yahoo searches and is spot-on with professional information which I know is also used by colleagues.
The community liaisons are volunteers to work hard to help those who are used to other sites and being attacked and need help becoming used to a safe support site... btw bullies aren't tolerated and that helps keep the site "safe" for those who suffer.

PsychCentral is a peer support group. As such it is not going to meet the needs of every individual. Of course those who are not happy with their outcomes will be doing most of the reviews. You get out of it what you put into it, if you are courteous and respectful you will mostly get the same respect back. Attacking others or judging others will be monitored. Keep in mind that this is a mental health peer support group your not going to get diagnoses and you will hear things you might not want to hear.

Like any large group there will be disagreements. Much of your experience will depend on which forums you visit. In some forums you may meet large personalities. There is an option to disengage in those clashes by ignoring them. This site is immensely helpful if you keep an open mind and don't let a small handful of people ruin the experience for you.

Largely my experience has been very good. In 5 years I've learned I'm not as alone as I thought that having bipolar is not something to be ashamed of and wasn't as forthcoming with doctors as I should have been. Consequently my doctor appointments have been more open and helpful because and the medicine easier to fine tune giving me a far better quality of life.

PsychCentral is a wonderful place for people to connect with others who have similar issues. I have never had anyone to talk with who understood what I was going through and I found many understanding people on this site. As with any internet site it has rules and guidelines, and if you follow them you won't have any problems. Thousands of people depend on the forums and chatrooms daily for support, encouragement and social interaction.

It is beyond my understanding why anyone would come to a peaceful site with a stated mission and challenge the rules and try to change things. PsychCentral is an informational and support site for those with mental illness and related issues. NOT a current events, political, debate, sex, or religion site, though there are forums for these topics.

I am glad to be a member and have made many friends from around the world who I have a lot in common with. It is my main social interaction every day. I love PsychCentral and the people who put in their time and effort to make it a very special place.

As stated in my title, I'm a long time member of Psych Central, 10+ years! I have learned so much there, not only about my mental health struggles, but others as well. I certainly wouldn't have been a member of Psych Central this long if there wasn't something positive and uplifting and educating about this site. Not only are there very active forums to partake in, there is so much more to see and learn there. There are many contributors who write articles for PC as well as "Ask The Therapist" and great information about specific mental illnesses/disorders to read about. Last but not least are the friendships I've made on the forums over the years. I have been blessed by these folks and I'm every so grateful to DocJohn for providing such a wonderful place!

I used to blog for them about a year ago and stopped. The "Associate Editors" have a handful of favorites who they regularly feature with ultra garbage posts. The interesting and informative posts barely get promoted. The sites "World of Psychology" blog promotes the favorites of the editors as well. More than a few psychologists I know abandoned their blogs as well after seeing the same pattern. Lots of people not licensed writing there and several con artists. Much better writing is available on the websites of various journals.

An excellent site... saved my life! I have been there for 6 years and can't wait to get on it every day for support and insight for me. Don't hesitate to join.

I belonged to Psych Central for seven months. Despite being regularly bullied by moderators and by several long-term PC members (who, naturally, the mods give support to), I stayed with the site hoping that if I followed their strange rules and kept trying harder, harder, harder I would find the warm and caring environment Psych Central keeps promising. I was so upset by goings-on on PC that I finally told a family member about it... about how I felt anxious every time I thought about going to the site, fearing I would be pushed around by mods and by certain members. The person I confided in told me that I needed to stop and think about how I felt, and that it sounded like PC was not a helpful website. Those words were a wake-up call. Today I was, as usual, bullied and shamed by one of the long-term members and by a mod who was tip-toeing around, but basically took the side of the clearly imbalanced person who was targeting me for her wrath. Finally, I said ***ENOUGH!***. I have deleted my account and won't return to PC again. The only valuable lesson I learned from participating in the PC community is that I need to set healthier boundaries for myself -and should have followed my gut instinct and left the forum many months ago. I feel incredibly proud of myself for LEAVING Psych Central! I strongly suggest that, for anyone considering joining PC, just don't do it. Unless you're a bully looking for people to abuse, you will not find help on that forum.

I think the articles on psychology and research are very useful and interesting.

The forum however I would be very wary of, I agree with another reviewer that there are people who are looking to take advantage of others who this is a magnet to. When I was posting there, there were several incidences of discovered 'fake' posters, but I suspect there are more, which is sad given the genuine posts others make to help them, from people who themselves are suffering already.

Unfortunately mental health forums are a magnet for this kind of behaviour, Psych Central should really issue advice to their own members regarding this but there certainly wasn't any public acknowledgement, let alone advice, that this went on. I can understand why, it would be very damaging to their reputation to admit this.

If you use the forum please take care, guard your private personal information and take what others post with a pinch of salt.

I had been a member with Psych Central on and off for several years. The problem
Is that it's moderated in the wrong way - freedom of speech is pretty limited to be honest, even if you're respectful, have a valid point to make and state clearly that you don't intend to debate. It's basically over controlled to the point where you start to feel targeted if the people in charge don't like you or something you've said. I've been in a few situations where another member has behaved in the wrong way and yet I've somehow been given the blame, even threatened with moderation and account suspension - it's just not helpful or therapeutic really. They say that it's a respectful and supportive place but it's very much on their terms - benevolently disagree at your peril. Couple this with the fact that a lot of the time the quality of discussion is so poor you might as well not bother and the articles written are usually shockingly stupid and one sided. There's a whole lot to deal with on Psych Central - just very little to gain.

I was a active member 3 years met a few friends. While I was a member two people took there life. The last month was a living nightmare. I got bullies so bad i to felt like taking my life. If someone does not do nothing there will be more suicides. I have proof chat logs private messages everything. So psych can "STOP BOTHERING ME WITH THERE THREATS ABOUT MY ACCOUNT BEING IN JEOPARDY I ask the site to delete my account pictures of my family they have not done that. Your review will help others learn about this website.

Please do not review if you are affiliated or have a conflict of interest with this website.

I found the information on this site to be unbiased and objective, and really in-depth. I appreciated the personal stories and articles about living with different mental health conditions, not just from professionals but also from people who cope with the condition day-in and day-out.

My experience in the forums was positive. I found people who suffered from a concern similar to mine to be supportive and offering thoughtful advice. I also found it a very safe environment, as every time I was on I noticed there was a moderator or someone else in charge who was logged on as well. There's no spam to deal with in this community, and I didn't run across any trolls.