[spondylosaurus]

IME one reason (out of many) why chronic illness forums tend to be terrible is that people who are managing their conditions reasonably well don't participate much. Which makes sense—the better you're doing, the less time you spend thinking about it and the less time you're inclined to spend discussing it—but that creates an environment where the most miserable voices become the loudest.

And so (1) there's often a disproportionate focus on doom and gloom rather than success stories, which paints a pessimistic picture for anyone joining after a recent diagnosis, and (2) the most prominent voices have a wounded-cornered-animal mentality that makes them defensive and/or prone to lashing out. And I can't totally blame them, given how hard it is to live with a treatment-resistant chronic condition, but it's not the most constructive environment for everyone else.