I have an idea that could help people

[Chris Churchill]

I am 29 year old guy and for the past 6 years I have had debilitating social anxiety and have been diagnosed with GAD. I have been mostly isolated during all of this time and have felt incredibly alone which got me thinking about an idea which could help myself and others.

I am a web and graphic designer and my idea is to create a free app which is much like Facebook, only for people with mental and physical illnesses.
People could search for oher people by their illness, age, gender, location, etc... So they can find someone who they can truly connect with and then add them to their friends list to help and support eachother. You could build up a strong network around you of people who really know what you are going through and help eachother., discuss medications, share self help articles or books, etc. There would be news feeds/time lines, profile pages, messaging, and notifications of likes and comments/replies.

I really like this concept and I think it would help myself and others a lot. Of course I am biased, so I want to know if others think it is a good idea and would you use it?

[Anne1221]

It's a good idea. There are already forums how there, so your would have to be a little different from what's already out there.

[Chris Churchill]

I guess this app would have three factors which would differentiate it from forums

1) You can customise the user search to find people your own age, location, etc
2) You would always feel connected to your friends as you would be getting pop up notifications on your phone
3) it would have avery Facebook-like feel to it and a real sense of community and friendship

Do you think those factors would be enough of a reason for people to use it?

[Anne1221]

It does sound very good but you just never know what will work and what won't. I hope you're seeing a therapist or someone who will help you to meet more people and not feel socially isolated.

[Nowuccas]

I like the concept, although personally I couldn't use it because I don't have a smart phone, and it seems to me that it's success or otherwise would be determined by the extent of exposure to as wide a population of potential users as possible.

CHAT SITES & FORUMS:
www.socialanxietyforums.com/ & www.socialanxietysupport.com/forum & www.socialanxietysupportchat.com/ & www.anxietyzone.com/ & www.stressgroup.com/chatrooms.html & (recommended: http://talk-depression.org.uk.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=2214&mode=threaded )

OTHER RELEVANT WEBSITES:
http://www.socialanxietyassist.com.au/useful_resources.shtml (many other websites & topics), and http://www.socialphobiaworld.com/modules.php and http://socialanxietysupport.com/ and http://www.socialfear.com/ and http://www.helpguide.org/ and http://socialanxiety.factsforhealth.org/ http://panicdisorder.about.com/od/social... and
http://www.socialphobia.org/
and http://www.social-anxiety.org.uk/ where there are letters from sufferers.

Some of the above weblinks may no longer be functional. I suggest Googling other, newer sites and posting in as many of the above as possible, and also others, such as Y a h o o! Answers Psychology and Mental Health sections, with repeated, occasional questions, like: "Are you aware of a new app for social anxiety sufferers?", etc. I'd repeat them once monthly, in both sections, for at least a year, to help get the word out.

[Nowuccas]

Hey Chris,

I like the concept, although personally I couldn't use it because I don't have a smart phone, and it seems to me that it's success or otherwise would be partially determined by the extent of exposure to as wide a population of potential users as possible.

CHAT SITES & FORUMS:
www.socialanxietyforums.com/ & www.socialanxietysupport.com/forum & www.socialanxietysupportchat.com/ & www.anxietyzone.com/ & www.stressgroup.com/chatrooms.html & (recommended: http://talk-depression.org.uk.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=2214&mode=threaded )

OTHER RELEVANT WEBSITES:
http://www.socialanxietyassist.com.au/useful_resources.shtml (many other websites & topics), and http://www.socialphobiaworld.com/modules.php and http://socialanxietysupport.com/ and http://www.socialfear.com/ and http://www.helpguide.org/ and http://socialanxiety.factsforhealth.org/ http://panicdisorder.about.com/od/social... and
http://www.socialphobia.org/
and http://www.social-anxiety.org.uk/ where there are letters from sufferers.

Some of the above weblinks may no longer be functional. I suggest Googling other, newer sites and posting in as many of the above as possible, and also others, such as Y a h o o! Answers: Psychology, and Mental Health sections, with repeated, occasional questions, like: "Are you aware of a new app for social anxiety sufferers?", etc. I'd repeat them once monthly, in both sections, for at least a year, to help get the word out.