I love the idea of members of a community reaching out like this to other members, shows the care that goes into this and the passion that you people carry. Is

I love the idea of members of a community reaching out like this to other members, shows the care that goes into this and the passion that you people carry. Is a hackers' depression in any way different to the depression of a non-hacker? I don't think so, which is why I think that the usual helplines are sufficient (but others will probably differ). I have another caveat: If you think of helping depressed people directly, think of yourself, too. People working at helplines have direct access to counsellors, which you don't. It might be that someone contacts you and then drops off the grid, having possibly committed suicide - could you live with that? You might have pushed this person over the edge by a wrong remark, and you will have no idea which it was. You will fuss over your logs looking for any remark that even remotely could be interpreted as wrong, maybe a joke that could have been misinterpreted? You will never know (I've been in a similar situation). So please think of your own mental health, too.