Brokers and financial planners aren't exactly therapists, but they can serve a similar purpose, especially with the market seesawing like it is now. When the market is declining, you know you're better off talking with a broker. You can't get that online. You can't get humanity online. And if things don't go well, a broker can also ease the pain by becoming your scapegoat.
Online traders have only themselves to blame.
Sounding very much like a therapist, Schott says it's important for investors to realize that fear is a normal reaction to market wackiness. Psychiatrist-trader Alexander Elder advises Web heads to preserve their mental health by keeping written trading files, plotting out a specific plan of action and making charts of their investments. At the very least, he says, take a deep breath and count to 10 before you click that mouse in a panic. You start feeding it quarters. The Web Copyright 2000 ABC News Internet Ventures.