Mental Health Question about self-medication

[RogerSigval]

I am a "now and then" contributor to this site. I went through a very bad time in my head that I've since overcome, and I made a few novel-length, raving posts in past. I'm doing much better now, but I still check back from time to time because people here seem very reasonable.

For the first time I noticed that advising others to "self-medicate" is not permitted in this forum.
Why?

I'm not trying to harass the moderators here and am not attempting to be belligerent. But I thought the whole purpose of harm reduction was having an honest discussion about the risks and benefits of experimental drug use. Throughout my own personal journey back to sanity, I've been drawn back to the "mental health" forum simply because it seems that my problems, while clearly holding the potential to be exacerbated by irresponsible drug use, are not CAUSED by drug use. I didn't think this disqualified me from drug conversation in this forum, only that the primary topic of discussion runs deeper than drugs.

I'm not attempting to deter people from seeking professional help and using medication as prescribed; in fact, I have sought such help myself. But it seems to me that "self-medication" is sometimes a necessary part of getting back to sanity. Sometimes we have to prove to ourselves that our own ideas don't work before we admit we need help from professionals. Other times, to the dismay of mental health professionals, our own ideas may be successful - then all the better! I admit I had to turn to some potentially dangerous experiments to realize they don't work.. But I ended up in a better place when all was said and done.

So if the point of a website like this is to help stubborn people who DON'T want to die but feel the need to experiment on their own, then why take "self-medication" off limits?

 

[RDP89]

I believe it's the advising someone to start self-medicating that is not permitted, as it could have ill consequences. If someone is already using drugs to self medicate, we can advise them in harm reduction or whatever it is they need to know, but whether for self-medication purposes or not, we can't tell members to try a certain chemical, as it can get to be a case of "well so and so on Bluelight told me I should try heroin and now my life is ruined", for example.