Community Guidelines

All online communities need a few guidelines to help make sure everyone stays safe. Our guidelines will help you get the most out of this community and ensure everyone gets support and advice when they need it. Our more thorough Terms and Conditions go into more detail about our community - and remember you’re agreeing to them when you join the community.

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Be supportive

Many people using this community will be going through a difficult time and are here for help from us and from you. We ask that you take responsibility for what you post - and help us by reporting anything that you think shouldn’t be here.

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Keep it friendly

We are a diverse community, we ask everyone to be respectful. We take a strong stance against hate speech, bullying, discrimination, racism, sexism, and homophobia.

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Don’t post anything that could cause upset or that treats anyone unfairly because of their race, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, beliefs or physical or mental health. Be respectful and don’t post personal attacks.

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It is fine to disagree with someone, but do so respectfully and concentrate on disagreeing with the opinion without attacking the person who posted it. Do not use posts to air personal grievances about other users, including bringing up past moderation against that user.

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Don’t feed the trolls

Sometimes people post things online just to get a reaction and cause upset. It’s best not to respond to these people, as this can escalate an argument and prevent people getting support. If you see any posts you are uncomfortable with, please let the moderators know privately by using the flag button under the post. We’ll always act as quickly as possible to moderate the community and take any appropriate action.

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We will always be fair

We will always do our best to moderate according to the guidelines and apply them to everyone fairly. There might be times when we have to remove posts from the community, but we’ll always do our best to explain why. Persistent, serious breaking of our guidelines may lead to a user’s account being put on a temporary break. If the behaviour continues after a break, it may lead to a permanent ban. We’ll only do this as a last resort but will act in the best interests of everyone who uses this site, and Sue Ryder as a charity.

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Don’t offer medical advice

This could be quite a dangerous thing to do without knowing someone’s medical history, and we need to look after you and those you are seeking support for. Contacting your GP, Doctor or NHS 111 is the best course of action. Remember you should always talk to a healthcare professional before acting on anything you read online that could impact your or someone else’s health. In an emergency, always call 999.

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Only share trusted information

There’s a lot of questionable advice about health out there on the internet. We’ll always respect your opinion, but we will remove any posts or links that are shared relating to information we deem to be unsafe. We have a responsibility to look after everyone who uses our community and take this very seriously.

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Protect your privacy

Please remember this is a public community. Never, ever post personal details anywhere online (for example, full name, phone number, or home address) - even in private messages. Please report anything you think is suspicious. For more information about being safe online, check out GetSafeOnline.org.

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Photos and videos

The community guidelines apply to photo and videos as well as written posts. Offensive or distressing photos or videos may be removed.

Please make sure you have permission to use any photos and videos that you post.

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Get in touch

Our Community Manager likes a chat and is here to help you use this community - or answer any questions you might have. We’re also always happy to listen to suggestions on how to make this community even better. Remember, it’s your community, and your input is invaluable. You can contact our Community Manager and moderation team by emailing admin@bamementalhealth.org