Talk:Peer support

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External links to peer support group resources[edit]

I removed the links to peer support group resources. Wikipedia is not a repository of links, not a directory, for readers to locate resources on the web. If there are objections please discuss them here rather than edit warring. Joja lozzo 20:20, 8 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Read the article, then look at the link you've replaced the external links with. Peer Support is not synonymous with support groups and this Open Directory link simply does not include relevant information that is found in the original external links. You should be aware that many people look to Wikipedia for information beyond what's in the articles; the links on this page provide a great deal of useful information about different types of peer support besides just mental health, grief and bereavement, which is all that you'll find on the very restricted Open Directory link.

Ham-fisted editing by admin people drives qualified editors away from Wikipedia, and the more information you make available, the more people will use it and appreciate it.Cmacauley (talk) 21:37, 8 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Minor correction, the Open Directory link was already there. The idea is that links can be recommended to the OD site instead of us building an excessively cluttered list of links. This is standard practice, and is encouraged by the external links guideline. If you think there is a way to better focus the DMOZ link, please suggest it; I'd be more than happy to rework the template code. --Ckatz^chat _spy 00:26, 9 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Cmacauley: Wikipedia is an encyclopedia not a portal for locating resources on the web. The policy on external links is to keep them to a minimum. There are plenty of other ways people can locate help without loading up articles here with links. Joja lozzo 02:34, 9 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

External link to DMOZ deleted[edit]

The link to DMOZ was deleted with the summary that "Support groups for mental health are not representative of the content of this article". We should discuss that here before we decide to remove it. Joja lozzo 01:34, 10 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

This link represents only part of the content of the article. Why select a mental health support groups link when peer support refers to education, physical and psychosocial support also? Peer support often occurs outside of support groups, too. The Open Directory link is specifically for "grief, loss and bereavement", and does not provide the wide range of information that was available in the other links. I don't understand how external links interfere with Wikipedia's function as an encyclopedia. Permit me to select three additional external links to add, underneath the Open Directory site.Cmacauley (talk) 02:04, 10 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I think we could include more links that take readers to sites with lists of links for general peer support resources. I do not want to see this page become a place where readers would expect to find individual links for specific support issues. As you have noted, the subject of this article is very general. I think we could consider replacing the existing link if it's too specific. Joja lozzo 02:28, 10 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Just go to the Open Directory and find a listing/category there that is more to your liking. Or. include more than one OD link. --Ckatz^chat _spy 05:11, 10 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Open Directory apparently only caters to support groups, most of them in the mental health sphere. That's OK but not sufficient in my view. One of the best websites for peer support is the Peer Resources Index which you previously deleted as "spam" (where did that come from?). I have reinserted the Psychosocial Support Center of the International Red Cross, a fairly good all-purpose website.

How exactly do external links interfere with Wikipedia's function as an encyclopedia? Cmacauley (talk) 15:06, 10 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

This is not the place to argue the reasons for, or validity of, policy. Please take that up on Wikipedia talk:External links. Joja lozzo 17:50, 10 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Open Directory exists as a link repository; if there isn't a subcategory for peer support, you are free to suggest that they create one. Wikipedia endorses the use of DMOZ so that we don't have to have these sort of EL collections. --Ckatz^chat _spy 18:02, 10 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Not arguing, just seeking information. What is wrong with the Peer Resources Index? Cmacauley (talk) 19:16, 10 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Proposal for New Section: Chronic Diseases[edit]

I'm surprised that there is no information in this article on the application of peer support to chronic disease management. Peer support has been shown to be effective in the management of diabetes, asthma, cardiovascular disease, and smoking cessation. Additionally, it has helped increase the rates of breastfeeding among new mothers.

On another note, I think this page should devote some attention the spread of peer support programs globally, as many low-resource communities have found peer support programs to be a cost-effective way of delivering health interventions. A cost-benefit analysis would also strengthen this article, especially in the current economic and political environment.Yptang (talk) 21:08, 9 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Wow, you didn't read the article, did you? There's a section on Peer support in chronic illness that discusses diabetes, cancer and HIV. Smoking cessation more properly would go under addiction. I've never seen a cost-benefit analysis like the one you refer to, although I've been in the field for a decade. Feel free to add one if you can. Cmacauley (talk) 23:22, 9 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I totally missed that section, seeing as how it's listed under mental health. I still think that chronic diseases should get a new section with diabetes, HIV, and cancer getting their own headings. I will work on contributing more to this article.Yptang (talk) 15:06, 15 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Remove Globalization flag[edit]

Although this article uses many examples from the US, several pertinent examples from other countries are included, therefore I propose that the globalization flag be removed. Peer support in other countries does not differ substantially from that offered in the US.

"Peer support is a fundamental strategy in the rehabilitation of landmine survivors in Afghanistan, Bosnia, El Salvador and Vietnam. A study of 470 amputees in six countries showed that nearly one hundred percent said they had benefited from peer support."Cmacauley (talk) 21:23, 5 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]