According to researchers at The Australian National University in Canberra, spending time on therapeutic and educational web sites may be just as effective as regular visits to the psychotherapist.

Researchers studied a group of patients who were referred to two web sites: The MoodGYM and education site BluePages. The MoodGYM is a cognitive behavior therapy site dedicated to preventing depression by helping users to identify and overcome difficult emotions, and showing them how to develop good coping skills, in order to improve their mental health. BluePages is a depression education site, providing information about the symptoms of and treatments for depression.

After 12 months, users of both web sites reported improvement. Interestingly enough, the educational site BluePages proved to be more effective than the behavior-therapy site. BluePages users appeared “less likely to use actions that did not have an evidence basis,” researcher Helen Christensen said.

Perhaps the results are really have been shown to be the most effective means of treating depression. DeVries also believes willingness to use the web sites shows the kind of initiative needed to successfully treat depression. Someone who is visiting an educational site like BluePages is taking the necessary steps with their own self-care, which is a crucial step in successful treatment.

The researchers believe that the results indicate that Internet-based strategies—educational and therapeutic—can be as effective as in-office treatment. If that is the case, educational and treatment-focused sites could become useful tools in treating people in remote or rural areas for whom access to professional help is problematic. While it can’t replace individual psychotherapy or medication in all instances, the study does show that sites dedicated to education and treatment can be a valuable tool.

Source: Psych Central