New social website for those suffering mental disorder

  • Post

  • 26 June 2013

  • Posted by Alastair Campbell

  • 10

Greetings from Australia, where anyone following my tweets, pix and links to interviews will know I am, as ever when here, loving the place. I keep having little nagging thoughts that I should write a blog - about my meeting with the PM, about the kamikaze politics of the ruling Labor Party's leadership struggles, about the dislocation between economic numbers - good - and polling numbers - bad, about the fact ex PM Paul Keating was so right to place Australia as part of Asia, about the Lions, about the excellent depression and anxiety campaign, Beyond Blue, about some of the interesting interviews questions, about etc etc etc - but the etc always got in the way. Then overnight I get an interesting email to remind me of home, and to remind me that every now and then it is good to give the blog over to others. So take the floor the creators of a new social networking platform, Born To Connect, which has been developed by a group of students at the University of Hull, and who took the liberty of putting the following in my own words. The website is targeted specifically at serving those who suffer from any type of mental illness/disorder. Its main goal is to prevent the social isolation caused by the stigma of suffering from a mental illness/disorder. This problem can be resolved by providing members with the opportunity of liaising with one another, offering support, forming friendships or romantic relationships, if desired. My understanding is, that this social platform is the first of its kind in this country that provides a fusion of social networking, online dating and most importantly, peer support. Membership to Born To Connect is entirely free for its users, since their objective is not profit motivated, it is primarily to raise awareness for those that have been diagnosed with similar illnesses/disorders. There are a vast number of features that are available for members at Born To Connect, which allow users to message other individuals who also have a mental illness. Support is available instantly through their instant messaging service whereby users can message other online users immediately and therefore one is never short of help if they are experiencing problems. Users can also use the search bar to search for those who have the same diagnoses as them. They can get in touch with those who understand the world in the same light as them, or by talking to a member who has joined the website specifically to offer support. I believe that those who suffer from mental illnesses/disorders require more support and should not be shunned away, and I believe that the social platform that has been developed will aid them in achieving this. I would like to offer Born To Connect my full endorsement and I highly recommend them as a potential platform for people that suffer from mental illnesses. If you have any questions feel free to contact Born To Connect at the following e-mail address. I would like to wish this new venture every success for the future. Born To Connect E-mail: borntoconnect@outlook.com Ps ... The other reason for non blogging has been jetlag which has not been helped by middle of the night phone calls with my friends from the Albanian Socialist Party, who have just won a landslide victory in the elections there. Maybe another time I will tell the story of the guy who persuaded me to go and help put together their campaign. it is another story of how social media is changing the world. For now, I am just really pleased that Edi Rama will be PM, and that I got to know a fantastic (small) team who I think can do the job of helping develop the potential of this poor, fascinating country.

10 responses to “New social website for those suffering mental disorder”

  1. Coincidence! I wondered if the blog had closed as I’ve lost the little twitter-latest feed that used to roll here and also couldn’t find campbellclaret on twitter itself!

    Anyway, re this new blog’s topic and the penultimate one about the lovely Mr Fry, I also stumbled across this last night, which is brill :
    http://parishgiving.wordpress.com/2013/06/20/a-personal-letter-to-depression/

    Re Ms Gillard, are those cavemen spewing forth their boorish sexist comments going to get votes at national elections? Desperate if so; what went wrong in their pasts that made them so different to the lovely Clive James? He’s been collating …..
    http://www.clivejames.com/

  2. Alight Alastair? Going to the second test in Melbourne? Think you said you didn’t manage Brisbane – heard it was crazy there, streets red and all that. But main thing good result, the moral victors too – the Kiwi ref was, umm, interesting. If you bump into any of the players, give my best to them for me, especially the ones from Carmarthenshire, and George from Anglesey too, of course.

    And what is going on with Labor there? Very strange.

    And good to see things becoming more out in the open in an healthy way, since the worst thing is to suffer in silence. It is a part of natural life, and the best therapy is to share.

    OOPS, just read you can’t remember your passwords for here or something, so I am talking into the aether here…

  3. Thanks for the article, Mr Campbell. I’m pleased and proud that you’re using your status to promote such worthy causes in the name of the silent, suffering, stigmatized masses. Kudos.

  4. Alright Michele? Click the twitter link of Ali just above that to find out what Ali is twittering about very recently, where it also says facelessbook bollocks and all that, for his latest in life.

    How’s things Michele? Keeping your chin up? Been trawling myself youtubby, as usual, carrying on regardless. Been watching chunkymark’s uploads recently, and may I say, with his profanities aside, they are excellent.

    Here you go, his latest from today, about student loans and the transferance to the banks,

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMe5Twlyz2A

    MIND THE GAP! : )

  5. By the way Ali and Michele, and others that are interested, chunkymark had this clever young fella in his taxi since, being interviewed, doing a PhD how it could possibly kick off in society, with how things are going, watch and shoot,

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzlb0i_gcF0

    chunkymark had Stacy Herbert in the back of his taxi last weekend, the sidekick of Max Keiser on RT, from their South Bank Tower Bridge London studio, and it was right interesting. But I will let you all search that one. Something for you to do, an adventure in the aether.

  6. Hi Ehtch, I’ve seen a few of this guy’s videos and he does talk much sense. But he spoils it by swearing so much.
    Have you seen the video of Max Keiser having a go at the French people’s work ethic, or lack of it! It’s very amusing. I think the video is entitled ‘Why I left France’ or something like that. Sorry I can’t give you a link. I’m not very good at links.

    • How you doing Gilliebc? Keeping well?

      The Artist Taxi Driver is as he is as described on his tin, an artist. Anyway, you should hear me Gilliebc, when I get going – I would seriously make your ears curl. He had Guido Fawkes mate in his taxi today, some fellah called Harry Cole, Guido’s right hand man, literally,

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBPc_am7-q4

  7. thank you so much for such a great information about depression treatment tips, i have suffered from depression since last 1 year but when i used your tips ,then it’s really works and gives me a big relief from depression, i have also follows treatment tips from some where else also, that tips are also very useful ,i want to share it with you, suggested reading how to deal with depression naturally

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