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> Why not? HN is about as qualified to give good advice on health issues as it is to give good info on astrophysics. There are few licensed medical profession

> Why not? HN is about as qualified to give good advice on health issues as it is to give good info on astrophysics. There are few licensed medical professionals here.

jm__87 8y ago
This is silly. Someone can know something about a topic without being licensed in it. Similarly, someone can be licensed to do something and give poor advice. I don't see why you wouldn't just take all the advice you can get and try to figure out what makes sense and what does not.
- kaikai 8y ago
  This kind of logic is why we end up with anti-vaxxers and flat earthers. Not all opinions are created equal, and if you're having a hard time with mental health, mental health professionals are the best place to go for help. I completely agree that the actual paper of a license means nothing, and someone can know more than a licensed pro through their own research and experience. BUT, the replies here are from random people on the internet, and there's no way to qualify their level of experience. I'm not surprised to hear this "anyone can do it" perspective from fellow software engineers, because of the shape of our industry, but it's a mistake to apply that universally.
  - jm__87 8y ago
    This is why I follow it up with "try to figure out what makes sense". The fact of the matter is, neither you nor I get to decide who voices their opinion on something on the internet. This is why it is important to scrutinize everything you read instead of blindly following the first piece of advice you read. I do agree that anti-vaxxers and flat earthers are a problem and it is clear that not everyone has the same ability to scrutinize what they read and determine where the truth lies. That being said, I tend to assume that people posting on HN are intelligent and capable of thinking for themselves and in that case, I think it is fine for non-experts to offer opinions.

> Why not? HN is about as qualified to give good advice on health issues as it is to give good info on astrophysics. There are few licensed medical professionals here.

jm__87 8y ago

This is silly. Someone can know something about a topic without being licensed in it. Similarly, someone can be licensed to do something and give poor advice. I don't see why you wouldn't just take all the advice you can get and try to figure out what makes sense and what does not.

kaikai 8y ago
This kind of logic is why we end up with anti-vaxxers and flat earthers. Not all opinions are created equal, and if you're having a hard time with mental health, mental health professionals are the best place to go for help. I completely agree that the actual paper of a license means nothing, and someone can know more than a licensed pro through their own research and experience. BUT, the replies here are from random people on the internet, and there's no way to qualify their level of experience. I'm not surprised to hear this "anyone can do it" perspective from fellow software engineers, because of the shape of our industry, but it's a mistake to apply that universally.
- jm__87 8y ago
  This is why I follow it up with "try to figure out what makes sense". The fact of the matter is, neither you nor I get to decide who voices their opinion on something on the internet. This is why it is important to scrutinize everything you read instead of blindly following the first piece of advice you read. I do agree that anti-vaxxers and flat earthers are a problem and it is clear that not everyone has the same ability to scrutinize what they read and determine where the truth lies. That being said, I tend to assume that people posting on HN are intelligent and capable of thinking for themselves and in that case, I think it is fine for non-experts to offer opinions.