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| How to Find Online Support Groups |
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Some people may find on-line support groups helpful. It may be comforting to chat with other people facing similar situations. Chat rooms however, are not the best source for locating health information, especially if they are not monitored by trained professionals or experts.
Any information you receive should be discussed with your healthcare team to determine if it applies to your particular situation. Be aware also that in online support groups, sometimes researchers ask to monitor the conversations of the group. If you want privacy, use a pseudonym (not your real name).
There are several ways to locate online support groups:
- The Cancer Survivors Network (CSN) is the American Cancer Society's free online support group created by and for cancer survivors and loved ones. Patients, survivors, and loved ones share their experiences in the online message boards and browse moderated discussions on key issues.
- The Association of Cancer Online Resources, Inc. (ACOR), (www.acor.org) is a non-profit patient advocacy organization. ACOR's mission is to develop, support, and represent Internet based resources to cancer patients and their families. ACOR supports approximately 70 on-line support groups on various cancer-related topics.
- OncoChat is another peer support group (www.oncochat.org) for cancer patients who share similar experiences.
- The Medicine On Line (www.meds.com/mol/welcome.html) Web site has links to on-line mailing lists.
- Another resource is OncoLink Automated E-mail Discussion Group provided by the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center (www.oncolink.upenn.edu/forms/listserv.html). By signing up for this group, you can e-mail others with similar interests.
Providing information on these Web sites does not imply endorsement by the American Cancer Society.
Revised Date: 3/30/01
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