User:Tamzin/Guidance for editors with mental illnesses
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wikipedia would grind to a halt in hours if every editor with a mental illness[1] went on strike. The discussion of mental health would be very different if everyone realized that.
This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
Many editors—most, if I had to guess—struggle with some sort of mental illness. Most of us edit without issue—although sometimes with considerable amounts of effort required to keep things that way. From conditions like depression, ADHD, and anxiety to ones like schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorder: You name it, there's probably a good number of editors in good standing who have it. Yet, despite that, when mental health is discussed, many editors quickly default to a position of rotely saying "Wikipedia is not therapy," as if that answers anything, often with the implication that editors with mental illnesses should just quit.[2]
Mental health on Wikipedia is a far more complex topic for any one essay to cover, but here are my three guiding principles for editors with mental illnesses:
- Don't let Wikipedia hurt your mental health. If on-wiki triggers are causing off-wiki problems, either change your editing style to avoid them, or take a break from editing until you're up for it.
- Don't let your mental illness hurt other Wikipedians (or other people in general). This applies to being incivil to people when you're not well, but also covers indirect effects. For instance, threats of self-harm or suicide can have a strong negative effect on people, even if they're just passersby.
- Don't let your mental illness hurt Wikipedia. Ultimately, we're all here to build an encyclopedia, and if your edits are going against that goal, it's your duty as a Wikipedian to disengage until you can edit constructively again.
Instead:
- Find things off-wiki that ground you, so you're not too reliant on Wikipedia for stability.
- Find things on-wiki that calm you rather than agitate you. Sometimes this may mean that you have to avoid areas of the encyclopedia that you're fond of but that cause you stress.
- Be aware of your limitations. Maybe there are things you have to participate in only in moderation, or things you have to do a different way from others.
- Set "bright lines", trigger situations that will make you modify, reduce, or temporarily halt your editing. These can be things like "If I find myself drinking because of Wikipedia things" or "If Wikipedia causes me a panic attack".
- If you make a mistake on-wiki due to impaired judgment, come up with a plan to avoid it happening again.
And when it comes to interacting with editors who are mentally ill:
- If someone is threatening to hurt themselves, follow the steps at WP:EMERGENCY and do not talk to them. You can never be sure you'll help rather than hurt. It sucks, but sometimes we just have to step back.
- While you shouldn't try to be anyone's therapist, if you're friendly with a Wikipedian, try to be a supportive peer to them. This might include a friendly suggestion that they step away from the keyboard at certain times.
- When you say things, consider how they might come across to a user who is depressed, who is prone to panic attacks, etc.
- If you have a mental illness, and another editor shares that they have the same or similar illness in a manner that indicates openness to discussion, you may both have something to gain from such a conversation.
- And for the love of G-d, don't go around saying "Wikipedia is not therapy" as if it adds anything to a conversation.[2]