https://www.reddit.com/r/Existentialism/comments/18sycmh/new_mod_teammental_health_posts/
created by Important-Apricot270 on 28/12/2023 at 16:46 UTC*
33 upvotes, 5 top-level comments (showing 5)
The sub is in a pretty bad place right now. The old mod team was very uncoordinated and burnt out, there have only been about two active mods since. I've personally recruited a small new mod team (we'll send out application forms soon!) and we're on board with making this a place to discuss existentialist literature again. I apologise for everybody screwing up earlier, this time I promise that we'll proceed with a clear vision for the subreddit and that we'll actively cooperate with you all to bring that vision to life.
Right now I need to address the issue of mental health posts. There is room for discussion of depression, anxiety, suicide, etc. in philosophy but the sub as it exists now doesn't promote this kind of discussion. If you're struggling with your mental health then you should ideally seek professional help but at the very least you should find a supportive friend/an actual mental health subreddit to properly address your feelings. That your worries might correspond to a particular theory or debate in philosophy does not mean philosophy will offer you a solution, nor do people need an interest in philosophy to understand them. Nobody handles climate change anxiety by talking to sociologists, it is treated as a mental health problem like any other.
In a recent post, somebody was frustrated over having spent *6 years* here out of desperation with no results, they only stayed because they didn't think anyone else would understand how they felt. Someone else answered that the masses are too stupid to understand philosophy and that their random eclectic philosophy is the solution instead. There's simply nothing about existential crises that are incomprehensible to ordinary people, and the *years* they've wasted listening to snake oil salesmen such as that person are years in which they could have found real support from people who care about their feelings. In fact, a *real* mental health subreddit would have pointed out the nature of his problem almost immediately. This community (although it's mostly the fault of us mods) has really failed this person by not drawing a fine line between philosophy and existential crises.
If you want to support someone with their mental health, or if you're here for a personal reason and want to know what proper support would look like: read this[1] excellent post by a hotline advisor. It's about suicide but much of it is generalisable - arguing people's feelings as people do in this subreddit is a terrible idea. If you're obsessed with whether a particular theory is true or not in a way that affects your mental health then you might have OCD[2] - either way the last thing you should be doing is feeding this obsession with philosophy.
1: https://www.reddit.com/r/SuicideWatch/wiki/talking_tips/
When we start making changes we'll be updating the community and looking for feedback as to make this a shift the community can buy into, so we aren't doing any hard content bans yet. That being said I've spent *hours* everyday deleting posts and writing messages to users explaining how they can best get the help they need,so I'll be removing these posts entirely from now on. Thanks for reading, we'll put out a new update soon!
Comment by Away_Doctor2733 at 29/12/2023 at 11:00 UTC
4 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Thank you for this! Important for the sub and people's mental health.
Comment by likelywitch at 29/12/2023 at 01:54 UTC
3 upvotes, 1 direct replies
There are a lot of fictional short reads that have broad and open appeal that I think make good candidates for something like a book review discussion. Might help drive/direct conversation initially.
Comment by Caring_Cactus at 07/01/2024 at 00:16 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
This is a clear example of spiritual bypassing[1] which I think can apply to this situation:
1: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-spiritual-bypassing-5081640
**a "tendency to use spiritual ideas and practices to sidestep or avoid facing unresolved emotional issues, psychological wounds, and unfinished developmental tasks.**"
Comment by [deleted] at 15/01/2024 at 13:34 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Where's the best place to discuss and seek help for a crippling fear of death? googling it points a lot of results back to this sub but based on this message it seems it isn't really the place for it. /r/ExistentialSupport exists but seems to be fairly inactive and only preapproved people seem to be able to make posts...
Comment by eitherorsayyes at 26/02/2024 at 17:48 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Thanks for helping!