Facebook Page Allows Sac State Students To Confess Innermost Thoughts
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Students at Sacramento State have a new avenue to share their innermost secrets, but a psychologist says "social media therapy" shouldn't be confused with seeking real help.
Most of us have them, those deep thoughts that we don't necessarily want to share, afraid of what some might think.
But at Sac State, some students are confessing their deepest, darkest secrets, sharing them on a Facebook page called "Sac State Confessions."
"Reading is fun, but I wouldn't post on it," student Kevin Park said.
The page, which is not sanctioned by the school, doesn't say who runs it, but says all posts will remain anonymous.
And they've gotten hundreds of confession, from "I really like my best friend but he is in a relationship" to "I don't know how to check out books at the library."
But there are more serious ones too, such as, "I think about suicide every day but I'm too afraid to get help from my friends or professionals."
Psychologist Dr. Debra Moore says anyone posting serious problems on the page is going to the wrong place for help.
"You don't deal with a serious issue by simply writing something on an anonymous page," she said.
She says the creator of the page probably didn't intend for it to address serious problems. What's posted here is no different from writing in a personal journal, Moore said.
"There are going to be some writers, posters who that brings some degree of comfort to," she said. "It's not effective particularly. It's pretty small. It's not going to last. It's not going to solve anything."
Most Sac State students we talked with say the more concerning confessions shouldn't even be there.
"It's definitely not the page to be posting some of the more serious ones," Jesse Burgard said.
"It's kind of sad to see things like that on there because if it was really that important, they should be telling friends and family, not posting it to everybody on Facebook," Jennifer Fernandez said.
Moore says when students are really ready to face their problems, they won't be using "Sac State Confessions" for help.
In 2012 the university received a federal grant to expand its mental health services, according to university spokesperson Kim Nava. As a result, the school created the "Be Well" program.
"Be Well teaches students and faculty to recognize students who are at-risk for suicide or other mental health issues," said Nava.
