The Mighty Overview

The Mighty was founded in 2014 by Mike Porath and his wife when they were in their darkest of hours and were craving support from people in their same situation. They had just found out their second child would be born with only one kidney and that their first child wasn’t going to age as a normal child would due to a rare chromosome disorder. These instances were truly horrific; however, they did not stop Mike and his wife from taking action in a positive way. They thought to themselves that they couldn’t be the only people going through such hardship and started an online community for others to gather and share their own stories virtually. Since then, The Mighty community has grown to feature more than 600 unique health topics, including cancer, mental health, and chronic illness, as well as other issues related to lifestyle and parenting. Becoming a member of The Mighty gives you access to over 50,000 users and 25,000 posts and stories for you to find a community of people going through or have experienced the things you’re also dealing with.   

The Mighty is the world’s largest digital health community that specifically focuses on mental health, disabilities, and rare diseases. With The Mighty, you’re able to find and foster connections with other people that want to help you navigate your life’s journey, no matter what you’re going through. The Mighty is accessible online and through The Mighty app, which is available for both Apple and Android smartphones and tablets. 

If you’ve been looking for an online support community of like-minded people who have first-hand health experiences, read on to learn more about what The Mighty is all about. 

How Does The Mighty Work?

The Mighty is a social media site that visually looks a lot like Facebook did when it was still in its infancy. No, we’re not comparing The Mighty to Facebook, but if you think about it, both platforms offer users a forum-type structure where people can post their thoughts, questions, concerns, etc., for other people to respond to. The Mighty’s forums are informal, which allows you to easily browse different conversations and join in on the ones you’re interested in. This site promotes and works hard to maintain a positive and supportive environment for people to share just about anything that’s on their minds and can be an excellent place for people to connect that are going through similar experiences. 

The Mighty reviewers appreciate that the site is free to use and can be accessed any time, day or night. Membership is required to protect the safety and privacy of its users, and only actively signed-in people are able to see the site’s content. One benefit of belonging to an online support forum like The Mighty is that you’re able to log on at any time and from anywhere when the mood strikes, but one thing to keep in mind is that because it’s structured this way, there’s no guarantee that other users will immediately respond to your posts. If you’re looking for a more structured or active support group with set times or designated meeting rooms, The Mighty may not be the right site for you. 

Signing up with The Mighty is super simple and takes no more than five minutes to create an account and start finding a community of people that will be beneficial to you. Upon creating an account, you will be prompted to answer a few questions that will help The Mighty understand a little more about you, your circumstances, and why you decided to join. This is helpful for the site, as they want to be able to tailor your initial experience for you to find the appropriate groups. For example, suppose you’re suffering from depression. In that case, you’ll want to select that as an area of interest, so you’ll be directed to groups containing people that are also dealing with depression. 

Once you’ve answered those few questions, you are then free to browse the site freely. You’ll see a ‘New for You’ heading on the welcome page that includes new posts for you to scroll through. You’ll also see a column on the right-hand side that has featured stories and posts from the specific topics you selected while you were creating your account. Unlike other social media platforms, you don’t have to search for ‘friends’ to see current posts. The site will serve you personalized posts based on the information you provided during sign-up. However, if you are scrolling through new posts and find the person or content interesting, you will want to follow them to ensure your feed stays fresh and current. 

If there’s a specific topic you want to focus on, such as PTSD or anxiety, you can easily search for it using the site’s looking glass feature. From there, you can follow that topic, post a thought, ask a question, or simply scroll through the forum’s content until you find something that piques your interest. 

What Topics are Available to Discuss on The Mighty?

You can find over 600 topics related to health. These topics include:

• Autism

• Cancer

• Chronic Illness

• Mental Health

• Rare Disease

Other non-health-related topics include:

• Lifestyle

• Parenting

• Blogs, videos, and events

Is The Mighty Right For You?

The Mighty boasts itself as a place for people to connect on hundreds of different topics related to health, illness, disabilities, and parenting in a safe and judgment-free environment. However, The Mighty isn’t your typical support group and doesn’t offer structured meeting times or specific group chat rooms for you to connect with other users directly. This site is best for people that are used to interacting with people in a forum structured way. 

The Mighty is for you if you’re going through a tough time with your kids and are looking for advice from other parents on how to deal or if your partner has a mental health issue and you’re having a hard time navigating the ins and outs and want to connect with other people going through similar situations. The Mighty welcomes anyone to use their platform; however, this type of support group is not for everyone. 

The Mighty is NOT for Everyone

You may want to look elsewhere if you’re currently in crisis or an emergency situation. The Mighty is best suited for those looking for advice or answers from others dealing with the same or similar circumstances. It is not intended to replace in-person or online therapy or counseling for those suffering from moderate to severe mental health issues. The Mighty can not diagnose, treat, or prescribe medication for medical illness, mental health conditions and is only to be used as a safe place to connect and talk with others about health-related topics. 

How Much Does The Mighty Cost?

It is FREE to download the app and become a member of The Mighty.  

What Do We Think About The Mighty?

The Mighty is an excellent resource for people looking to connect with other people in a casual, Facebook-like environment. Here, you’re able to post comments, ask questions, read articles, and possibly find answers to things that you wouldn’t have otherwise been able to if you were merely doing a Google search. The Mighty especially seems great for people with super rare diseases and haven’t been able to find support or a doctor who can pinpoint exactly what you’re dealing with. 

The internet is a powerful tool, and with help from The Mighty, we are now able to access a community of other people going through similar or the same situations. The Mighty is a great place to connect with people about specific health topics and definitely worth checking out.