Online Support Forums: Good or Bad

(one of the many pictures you can find by searching self injury on Google)

The support page itself is very quiet and I wanted to take a look into the pro's and con's of online forums for self injury support. So I stepped outside of Facebook and searched online and found a very interesting article on this subject exactly.
Using an online forum support can be beneficial for a number of reasons. One of the main positive effects of these forums is the decrease of stigma associated with SI through the internet. Typically when a self injurer is "Called out" on their behavior it is clear to see the stigma that surround them. They are seen as emo kids or social outcasts. However by creating an online profile and posting it on the world wide web, you've entered a world where no one knows you. You can seek out peer support and take whatever advice you want. Many forums offer chat rooms where you can go to distract you from the urge to self injure while other pages offer games and puzzles as distractions. There are literally thousands of online resources available which can also be a plus because you have so many choices. However this can be counteracted when we look at the increase in social isolation. Self injurers tend to isolate in general however when you factor in the internet you are literally one in 5 or 6 million and the support you're getting is peer support not professional support. Another major downfall that many people don't realize is that most of these sites allow users to post video's and photos of self injury related things ranging from fresh cuts and burns to bloody razors and even video of clips of self injury being done. This is what I find to be the biggest set back to using internet support because you really never know what it is you're getting yourself into. So how can we relate this issue back to the idea of self injury and the body? It is hard to answer this without some first hand accounts of it which I unfortunately do not have right now. From my prospective however I think using the internet for support allows the person more freedom with their struggles, if they have the urge to show what they've done or tell their story (which happens with a lot of people who simply can't contain it)they can write posts and post images. If they're normally afraid to expose themselves this gives them the chance to put themselves out there and in many cases the person may be hiding it but secretly they want help or they want someone to say something to them to give them reason to seek help. Of course this is my opinion on it and I'm trying to find some people to talk to about it. So my final stance on this topic is that there are positives to using online support but I think there is a point where you have to step back into reality and seek actual help preferably professional help.

Here is the link to the article.

http://www.socialworker.com/home/Feature_Articles/Professional_Development_&_Advancement/Impact_of_the_Internet_on_Self-Injurious_Behaviors/