In a support group, members provide each other with various types of nonprofessional, nonmaterial help for a particular shared burdensome characteristic. The help may take the form of providing relevant information, relating personal experiences, listening to others' experiences, providing sympathetic understanding and establishing social networks. A support group may also provide ancillary support, such as serving as a public relations voice or engaging in advocacy.

Maintaining contact

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Support groups maintain interpersonal contact among their members in a variety of ways. Most groups have traditionally met in person in group sizes that allowed conversational interaction. Support groups also maintain contact through printed newsletters, telephone chains, internet forums, and mailing lists. Some support groups are exclusively Online_support_groups.

Membership in some support groups is formally controlled, with admission requirements and membership fees. Other groups are "open" and allow anyone to drop in at an advertised meeting, for example, or to participate in an online forum.

More on [ Support group ]

NYT > Health

Infants’ Swine Flu Vaccine Is Recalled as Less Potent
By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr. Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:21:24 -0000
Nearly a million doses may have been slightly less potent than required, federal officials said in announcing that the shots had been voluntarily pulled.
26 Arrested in Three States in Medicare Fraud Schemes
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Wed, 16 Dec 2009 07:54:48 -0000
Federal agents arrested 26 suspects in three states on Tuesday, including a doctor and nurses, in a crackdown on Medicare fraud totaling $61 million.
In Surgery, a Tangled Tumor Meets Its Match
By DENISE GRADY Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:00:28 -0000
At NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia, surgeons spent 43 hours performing an ex vivo procedure on a man whose liver was engulfed by a cancerous tumor.

CNN.com - Health

Legacy of sudden death spurs woman's mission
Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:49:50 -0500
Touched by tragedy, Holly Morrell urges screening for heart problems. But there are questions about how far to go, to find those at risk of cardiac arrest.
Extreme diets: Life on 800 calories a day
Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:28:43 -0500
Very low-calorie diets have been used to help obese patients lose weight for more than two decades. But how safe are they?
Gaps found in young people's sex knowledge
Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:38:57 -0500
Most sexually active unmarried young adults believe pregnancy should be planned. Yet about half do not use contraception regularly, according to a new study that highlights the gap between intentions and behavior.

BBC News | Health | World Edition

Experts crack cancer 'gene code'
Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:00:06 -0000
Scientists unlock the entire genetic code of two common cancers - skin and lung - a move they say could revolutionise cancer care.
Food hormone link to Alzheimer's
Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:00:12 -0000
High levels of a hormone that controls appetite are linked to a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's, research suggests.
Women have 'more sensitive touch'
Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:04:40 -0000
The sense of touch is more sensitive among women than men because their fingers are smaller, a study suggests.

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Gary Null Introduction