Dianna-
I'm speaking only for myself here, but there is no requirement of any sort to take part in this forum. That is the official line. Unfortunately, you and I both know that things go deeper than that. Part of it is a "birds of a feather" thing where people are attracted to others who they share something with. That dosn't get you banned or anything, but it might make you feel out of place at times. It isn't because you fail some sort of test. It isn't because I don't like you. It is just that we have little in common and so we feel uncomfortable. Like being on a first date, it can be painful. A second part of it is that, well, there are some pretty intelligent people on here. Smart people need places to hang out, too. You can't expect them to fake it and act other than they are, So, again, while no one would ask you to leave, you might feel unciomfortable and it be no one's fault.

There is another thing to be aware of here as well. One that is not too obvious. NeuroTalk is a relatively old community and there is a history here. Ten years or so ago it was known as BrainTalk. It was a thriving community and in those days quite unique. A lot of isolated and very ill people depended on it just to make life bearable. Then one morning, we got up and logged on - and BrainTalk was gone. A server had crashed without a backup. But far worse was the fact that the SOB who "owned" the site didn't care and had no intention of even reopening the site. Months went by and nothing changed. Finally, a few of us took things into our own hands and struck out into cyberspace. Thanks to the kindness of DocJohn (his own family having been touched by PD not long before) we found a home. And, as an aside, a certain Canadian actor hung around under an assumed name for awhile

I'm not trying to impress you with our history. Although it is pretty neat. What I am really trying to say is that most of the people on here don't go back that far and just wandered in from the storm sometime in the last ten years, just like you. Take a little time to learn the community's definition of good manners, just as you would in a real world setting. We are nerds, geeks, scientists, and drunks. And we are pretty nice folks who will welcome you in.