Thread by @KetoCounselor

This thread provides some real talk about what is being called mental health support in the social media world and even in groups run by peers or trained mental health professionals. (1/11) #mentalhealthmatters

Sometimes the people attempting to provide a place for mental health support inadvertently do not. And if you are part of these support groups, either in person or online, I want you to watch out for something. (2/11)

Particularly if you are responding well and rapidly to the use of a #ketogenic diet for mental illness, with or without a therapy component, this is a real issue that comes up. (3/11)

If you are hesitating to talk about how you are getting well and celebrating what is going right, that is not a healthy support community. (4/11)

If a community has a social norm (declared openly or not) that dictates the extent to which one can excel or express positivity to prevent others from feeling uncomfortable, this represents a significant issue. (5/11)

Example: I brushed my teeth today vs. I was able to get a job, and I believe I am a worthy person and I am going to do well. Note that one is so counter-culture to the group you wouldn't dare say it, or you would downplay your achievement. (6/11)

Why? Because people with mental illness diagnoses are told that it's lifelong and that they cannot recover. And when they see you recovering because of your changes, it disrupts group norms and expectations. (7/11)

If you are nervous to celebrate within the group a significant movement towards wellness or unabashedly celebrating remission, you are becoming operantly conditioned to focus on negative thoughts and the reinforcement of self-limiting narratives. (8/11)

If you secretly fear rejection if you were to share that you are getting exponentially better, then those were not authentic friendships if the only tether between each other was an affirmation of shared misery. (9/11)

At that point, if you are afraid to talk about how good you are doing, it is no longer a support community. That is your enmeshment in a dysfunctional system. (10/11)

And what once felt like a source of support may no longer be contributing to your well-being. And it's ok to move on and find different support systems or ways to find support that work better for you where you are now. (11/11)