Support can be experienced in a number of ways:

• Face to face encounters in local groups

• National or regional charities with magazines, pen pal schemes etc.

• Online communities such as forums or message boards, chat rooms, e-mailing lists

• Social networks such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Plaxo, LinkedIn, Yahoo

• Virtual communities

Tips to get the most out of support groups:

• Do try to participate and offer support & your experiences to others – even sharing stories about your failures can be helpful.

• Keep an open mind – the people you meet will come from many walks of life and may have different perspectives of the illness and what helps.

• When joining an online group, be friendly but limit the amount of personal information you share in order to maintain your privacy and prevent possible identity theft.

• Make sure your anti virus software is installed and up to date.

• Consult guidelines to protect children online. Set internet safety parental controls with Windows

• Always investigate before trying any thing that could affect your health and well being, even if it comes highly recommended.

• Check that the group offers what you want: informal chat & sharing, organised discussion groups, lectures, social activities or a chance to gossip.