Van Meter A, Birnbaum M, Rizvi A, Kane J. (2019). Online help-seeking prior to diagnosis: Can web-based resources reduce the duration of untreated mood disorders in young people? Journal of Affective Disorders. 252: 130-134. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2019.04.019
Researchers recruited 40 individuals (aged 15-35) with a recent diagnosis of depression, bipolar disorder, or generalized anxiety disorder from inpatient and outpatient psychiatric departments across North America for a qualitative study to examine how young people sought help and symptom information online. Researchers determined how and why participants sought symptom information and professional treatment through an interview with participants that targeted online information seeking behaviors (n = 40). Descriptive analysis of study data revealed that, on average, participants waited 2 years to pursue professional treatment. At symptom onset, most participants favored online searches for help and information (81%) over consultations with a medical professional (28%). Participants sought dialogue and validation online (63%) through symptom-specific searches (58%) often focused on suicide (35%). Few participants sought treatment information first (19%). The Internet polarized participants; many considered it the most helpful information resource (39%) while others deemed it least helpful (15%). Almost all participants (79%) preferred initial mental health advice in person from a friend or relative (93%) to advice from a medical professional (5%). Among participants who consulted friends and family, half received a recommendation for professional intervention (50%), which motivated many participants to begin conventional treatment (40%). Participant attitudes towards unsolicited clinician-initiated contact online were variable (60% found it acceptable, 40% unacceptable). Almost all participants considered online assistance and advice from a clinician acceptable (85%). While most participants first sought help for symptoms online (81%), the detrimental delay between symptom onset and treatment (92 weeks on average) suggests a need for improved user-engagement in digital resources for young people to facilitate prompt professional treatment.