H. Christensen et al., Sites for depression on the web: a comparison of consumer, professional and commercial sites, AUS NZ J PU, 24(4), 2000, pp. 396-400
Citations number
14
Categorie Soggetti
Public Health & Health Care Science
Journal title
AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Objective: To provide information on the range of treatments for depression
provided by commercial, professional and consumer web sites.
Methods: An audit of the 21 most popular depression sites on the world wide
web undertaken from March 1999 to July 1999, in Canberra, ACT. Treatment t
ypes and categories of treatment were compared among commercial, profession
al and consumer web sites.
Results: A total of 53 treatments or treatment types were mentioned. The nu
mber of treatments mentioned per site ranged from 2 to 38. Antidepressant m
edication and psychotherapy were noted by almost all sites. Consumer sites
mentioned psychological therapies less frequently but did not mention dieta
ry supplements or complementary treatments more frequently.
Conclusions and Implications: Consumer web sites provide a point of compari
son to those from commercial or professional sources. They provide a voice
to inform psychiatrists and GPs about preferred treatments and side effects
and to alert researchers to areas that need formal investigation.