Chat windows and zoom bombers: virtual boundaries in mental health peer support

Abstract

Mental health peer support is a form of care in which people with mental health conditions provide emotional support and education to fellow individuals in recovery, and it is often offered online. Yet little research has considered the social and ethical consequences of providing peer support virtually. Drawing on qualitative data on peer support at mental health agencies across Ohio, this paper argues that the move to online platforms like Zoom led to concerns around boundaries: the rules within personal relationships between people giving and receiving support. In particular, the shift to virtual delivery of peer support posed new questions around privacy and communication. I assert that understanding boundaries in virtual settings is critically important to the field of disability studies, as scholars, activists, and practitioners document and analyze the nature of interdependent care relationships that unfold across a variety of social contexts.