A VIRTUAL SHOULDER TO CRY ON

摘要

Nietzsche described the thought of suicide as a great source of comfort. Had he lived in the 1990s, he might have contacted the popular Internet mail-group alt.suicide.holiday, which provides users with a forum for comparing the effectiveness of various methods of self-destruction, and an open ear into which they can pour streams of anguish. Not everybody would agree that the alt.suicide.holiday mailgroup serves a constructive purpose, but there are now hundreds of self-help groups on the Internet offering practical and emotional support for psychological problems ranging from alcoholism through depression to schizophrenia.