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What is an online support group and how can it help?
Online support groups are internet-based meeting places for persons who share the same interests and would like to communicate with others about their specific concerns. There are literally thousands of groups on the Internet of every conceivable interest, occupation, opinion or point of view. The online groups listed for OCD are accessed through your email, using your email program, or "client," most often Outlook or Outlook express. If you are reading this webpage, your probably are already familiar with your computer's email capability, or have one of these email clients on your computer that you can easily access.
Online groups can facilitate communication between several members at one time because a centralized computer, called a "server" (which is usually a service provided by one of the large internet services such as Yahoo.com or Google.com) provides the "meeting place" where all of the individual members' messages are sent, and then routed to each and every member who has subscribed to that particular group. Subscribing to a group is easy. All you do is send an email "request" to the particular server at your group's subscriber address. The server sends an acknowledgement of having received your request. You then will be asked to click on a link that will verify your email address and online location, and "voila" - you now will be receiving all of the messages from members in your group. BE FOREWARNED that depending upon the size of the group (and some are very large - the OCD Support Group has 1200 members!), your Inbox will likely get cluttered daily with the back and forth conversations of members exchanging ideas. However, tracking the conversational "thread" is fun, and even more fun is to jump in and ask a question for the members of the group. You'll be amazed at the number of helpful and stimulating responses you'll get. Online OCD groups, at their best, provide a safe and confidential place to share your most personal OCD related concerns.
Many of the better online support groups are moderated by individuals who generously give their time and efforts to keeping the group atmosphere productive and helpful to the subscribers. Often subscribers are required to adhere to a "code of online conduct" so that offensive, inappropriate or off-topic messages are kept to a minimum. Group moderators have special access privileges that permit them to edit, or even disallow member's messages if they are felt to be inappropriate to the purposes of the group. Subscribers who repeatedly violate the rules and protocols of the group are banned from participation.
One of the great features of several of the online groups is that many have established professionals on board who generously provide expert information, advise, and referral to subscribers in need. In this way, the groups can function as a sort of clearinghouse for accurate information about OCD and its treatment.
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