Internet information-seeking in mental health: Population survey
Open accessAbstract
Background: A major use of the internet is for health information-seeking. There has been little research into its use in relation to mental health. Aims: To investigate the prevalence of internet use for mental health information-seeking and its relative importance as a mental health information source. Method: General population survey. Questions covered internet use, past psychiatric history and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. Results: Eighteen per cent of all internet users had used the internet for information related to mental health. The prevalence was higher among those with a past history of mental health problems and those with current psychological distress. Only 12% of respondents selected the internet as one of the three most accurate sources of information, compared with 24% who responded that it was one of the three sources they would use. Conclusions: The internet has a significant role in mental health information-seeking. The internet is used more than it is trusted.
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Carers often report that they would like interventions to be offered and delivered via flexible and self-paced packages, ideally via online mediums, which can be managed around their commitments.
“Moreover, carers often report that they would like interventions to be offered and delivered via flexible and self-paced packages, ideally via online mediums, which can be managed around their commitments (Powell & Clarke, 2006;Powell et al., 2013;Powell, Jennings, Armstrong, Sturt, & Dale, 2009;Sin, Moone, Harris, Scully, & Wellman, 2012).”
From eHealth interventions for family carers of people with long term illness: A promising approach? (2018) · cites this paper as Powell & Clarke, 2006
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“For example, the general population survey conducted by Powell and Clarke (2006)”
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Why don't we trust health websites that help us help each other?
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Zermatten, A., Khazaal, Y., Coquard, O., Chatton, A., & Bondolfi, G. (2010) · Depression and Anxiety · doi:10.1002/da.20665 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
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InfluentialAdolescents' views about an internet platform for adolescents with mental health problems
Havas, J., de Nooijer, J., Crutzen, R., & FERON, F. J. M. (2011) · Health Education · doi:10.1108/09654281111123466 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
“In addition, they also use the internet to search for all kinds of information, not only relating to amusement (music, movies and television), but also to health issues (Gray et al., 2005; Lenhart et al., 2010; Powell and Clarke, 2006; Rideout, 2002).”
BackgroundMichalak, E. E., Suto, M., Barnes, S. J., Hou, S., Lapsley, S., Scott, M., Murray, G., Austin, J., Elliott, N. B., Berk, L., et al. (2016) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2016.06.057 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Online Information Searches and Help Seeking for Mental Health Problems in Urban China
Chen, J., & Zhu, S. (2015) · Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research · doi:10.1007/s10488-015-0657-6 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
“But while the Internet has the advantage of increasing the general public’s access to information, its mental health information is often of a poor quality and should be viewed with caution (Morahan-Martin and Anderson 2000; Powell and Clarke 2006).”
BackgroundPohjanoksa-Mäntylä, M., Bell, J. S., Helakorpi, S., Närhi, U., Pelkonen, A., & Airaksinen, M. S. A. (2010) · Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology · doi:10.1007/s00127-010-0201-7 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
“The Internet is particularly used by people with long-term diseases, including those with mental disorders [13, 32, 35, 38].”
BackgroundBurchert, S., Kerber, A., Zimmermann, J., & Knaevelsrud, C. (2021) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0244955 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
“Among internet users in a random sample of general practice patients in Oxfordshire (England), the willingness to seek mental health information online was found to be higher among persons who experience increased psychological distress and even higher in persons with a past history of mental health problems [17].”
BackgroundAnttila, M., Sittichai, R., Katajisto, J., & Valimaki, M. A. (2019) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph16142473 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Κωσταγιόλας, Π., Korfiatis, N., Kourouthanassis, P. E., & Alexias, G. (2013) · International Journal of Information Management · doi:10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2013.11.009 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Birnbaum, M., Candan, K. A., Libby, I., Pascucci, O., & Kane, J. (2016) · Early Intervention in Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/eip.12179 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Seasonality Patterns of Internet Searches on Mental Health: Exploratory Infodemiology Study
Soreni, N., Cameron, D. H., Streiner, D. L., Rowa, K., & McCabe, R. E. (2019) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/12974 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
“There is evidence that individuals with a history of mental health issues are more likely to use the internet for mental health searches than those without any mental health issues [22].”
Olkun, H. K., Demirkaya, A. A., & Aras, B. (2019) · Journal of Orthodontics · doi:10.1177/1465312518824100 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Patel, S., & Dowse, R. (2013) · Health Expectations · doi:10.1111/hex.12131 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
The quality of internet information on depression for lay people
Ferreira-Lay, P., & Miller, S. (2008) · Psychiatric Bulletin · doi:10.1192/pb.bp.107.016188 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
“Eighteen per cent of all internet users have sought mental health-related information (Powell & Clarke, 2006) and they are more likely to search for information on depression than on any other condition (Taylor, 1999).”
BackgroundExperiences of antipsychotic use in patients with early psychosis: a two-year follow-up study
Yeisen, R. A. H., Bjørnestad, J. R., Joa, I., Johannessen, J. O., & Opjordsmoen, S. (2017) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-017-1425-9 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Daker‐White, G., & Rogers, A. E. (2013) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/1471-244x-13-279 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Barriers to medication counselling for people with mental health disorders: a six country study
Aaltonen, S. E., Laine, N., Volmer, D., Gharat, M., Muceniece, R., Vītola, A., Foulon, V., Desplenter, S., Airaksinen, M., Chen, T. F., et al. (2010) · Pharmacy Practice · doi:10.4321/s1886-36552010000200007 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Hennemann, S., Kuhn, S., Witthöft, M., & Jungmann, S. M. (2022) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/32832 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
“Users typically rate the internet “higher as a source to use than a source to trust” [19], particularly when compared with personal medical information (eg, from health professionals).”
BackgroundIssues for eHealth in Psychiatry: Results of an Expert Survey
Nicholas, J., Huckvale, K., Larsen, M. E., Basu, A., Batterham, P. J., Shaw, F., & Sendi, S. (2017) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.6957 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
“Further, the Internet is increasingly used as source of information about mental health, particularly among those with mental health problems [26].”
Investigating Relationships Between Health-Related Problems and Online Health Information Seeking
Oh, Y. S., & Song, N. (2016) · CIN Computers Informatics Nursing · doi:10.1097/cin.0000000000000234 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Todd, N. J., Solis‐Trapala, I., Jones, S. H., & Lobban, F. A. (2012) · Contemporary Clinical Trials · doi:10.1016/j.cct.2012.02.011 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
“The internet is one of the top three sources of information accessed by people withmental health problems [55] and is an acceptable and effective way of delivering therapy [28,38].”
BackgroundFiedler, S., Pfaff, H., Soellner, R., & Pförtner, T. (2018) · Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine · doi:10.1097/jom.0000000000001324 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
“So far, studies have shown that people with mental health problems or those with current psychological distress have an increased need for information about mental health topics.(83,84) This study offers new insights into the field of health literacy research by exploring the association between health literacy and ps…”
BackgroundSEEKING HELP FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS IN URBAN CHINA
Chen, J. (2012) · Journal of Community Psychology · doi:10.1002/jcop.20513 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Tana, J., Kettunen, J. A., Eirola, E., & Paakkonen, H. J. (2018) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/mental.9152 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
“One interpretation of this finding, supported by Rusting and Larsen [40], is that structured versus unstructured time may account for DMVs. Evening time, for most people, is less constrained by external demands and obligations, and the most likely time of day in which negative thinking may take place, compared with th…”
BackgroundInfluentialPatient information on schizophrenia on the internet
Kalk, N. J., & Pothier, D. D. (2008) · Psychiatric Bulletin · doi:10.1192/pb.bp.107.017004 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
The DARTS tool for assessing online medicines information
Närhi, U., Pohjanoksa-Mäntylä, M., Karjalainen, A., Saari, J. K., Wahlroos, H., Airaksinen, M., & Bell, J. S. (2008) · Pharmacy World & Science · doi:10.1007/s11096-008-9249-9 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
“People with mental disorders are frequent users of online health information [7–9] and also more likely than those with other long term illnesses to search for medicines information online [10].”
BackgroundPohjanoksa-Mäntylä, M., Saari, J. K., Närhi, U., Karjalainen, A., Pylkkänen, K., Airaksinen, M. S. A., & Bell, J. S. (2008) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2008.06.024 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
“People with mental disorders including depression are more likely than people with other long term illnesses to use the Internet for health- and drug-related information (Haviland et al., 2003; Powell and Clarke, 2006; Sleath et al., 2003; Wagner et al., 2004).”
BackgroundResultWalther, J. B., Jang, J.-W., & Edwards, A. A. H. (2016) · Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10410236.2016.1242036 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
“As many as 64% to 80% of Internet users have searched for health-related information online (Fox, 2011; Powell & Clarke, 2006).”
BackgroundRecruitment to Online Therapies for Depression: Pilot Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial
Jones, R. B., Goldsmith, L., Hewson, P., & Williams, C. J. (2013) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.2367 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
“Nearly 1 in 5 British Internet users search for information related to mental health [2], but patients searching for health information online may not find what they are looking for [3], possibly due to sub-optimal search strategies [4].”
BackgroundMilton, A. C., & Mullan, B. A. (2016) · Journal of Mental Health · doi:10.1080/09638237.2016.1207225 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
“Although the internet is increasingly used as a source of information on health issues (Powell et al., 2011), previous research has reported that only 15.1% of people with current mental health disturbance had used the internet to access information on mental health (Powell & Clarke, 2006).”
MethodInfluentialOnline mental health communities, self-efficacy and transition to further support
Prescott, J., Rathbone, A. L., & Hanley, T. (2020) · Mental Health Review Journal · doi:10.1108/mhrj-12-2019-0048 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Spanish students’ use of the Internet for mental health information and support seeking
Montagni, I., Parizot, I., Horgan, A. M., González-Caballero, J. L., Barrios, J. A., Lagares, C., Peralta, J.-L., Chauvin, P., & Amaddeo, F. (2014) · Health Informatics Journal · doi:10.1177/1460458214556908 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
“Unlike other studies analyzing the use of the Internet for mental health information seeking, 1,12 this survey aimed to comprehensively describe the factors associated with the use of the Internet for mental health information and care among young university students in Cadiz.”
BackgroundGallagher, S. S., Doherty, T., Moran, R., Kartalova, Y., & Doherty, O. '. (2008) · Lenus, The Irish Health Repository (Dr Steevens Hospital Library) · doi:10.13140/2.1.5007.1680 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
A literature review and meta‐analysis of drug company–funded mental health websites
Read, J., & Cain, A. (2013) · Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica · doi:10.1111/acps.12146 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Seeking Web-Based Information About Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Where, What, and When
Rosenblum, S., & Yom‐Tov, E. (2017) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.6579 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
“People, including 96% of parents, tend to seek out information on incidence, recurrence, or increased severity of the disability [26,30,31].”
Yap, M. B. H., Martin, P., & Jorm, A. F. (2017) · Early Intervention in Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/eip.12503 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Tirel, M., Rozgonjuk, D., Purre, M., & Elhai, J. D. (2019) · Journal of Technology in Human Services · doi:10.1080/15228835.2018.1561348 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
“Theory: Seasonality, day of week, and diurnal effects of mental health problems Seeking mental health information online is more likely, if a person is currently experiencing mental health distress or has a history of mental illness (Powell & Clarke, 2006).”
BackgroundProviding web-based mental health services to at-risk women
Lipman, E. L., Kenny, M., & Marziali, E. (2011) · BMC Women s Health · doi:10.1186/1472-6874-11-38 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
“The internet is a commonly used source of information related to mental health, with elevated use among those with a history of mental health problems [20].”
BackgroundLee, S. Y. (2018) · Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10410236.2018.1452093 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
“Another primary way to obtain healthcare information on the Web is to ask questions on Questions & Answers (Q&A) sites (Powell & Clarke, 2006).”
BackgroundDr Google, MD: A Survey of Mental Health-Related Internet Use in a Private Practice Sample
Lam-Po-Tang, J., & McKay, D. (2010) · Australasian Psychiatry · doi:10.3109/10398560903473645 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Espinosa, H. D., Carrasco, Á., Moessner, M., Cáceres, C., Gloger, S., Rojas, G., Perez, J. C., Vanegas, J., Bauer, S., & Krause, M. (2016) · Telemedicine and e-Health · doi:10.1089/tmj.2015.0124 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Scott, J. L., Hockey, S. J., Ospina‐Pinillos, L., Doraiswamy, P. M., Álvarez‐Jiménez, M., & Hickie, I. B. (2021) · Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica · doi:10.1111/acps.13390 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, drug companies and the internet
Mitchell, J., & Read, J. (2012) · Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/1359104510396432 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
“Eighteen per cent of all internet users in England used the internet for information about mental health, rising to 31.5% of those with a history of mental health problems (Powell & Clarke, 2006).”
BackgroundInfluential
- Authors
- Powell, J., & Clarke, A.
- Affiliations
- University of Warwick (GB)
- Queen Mary University of London (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Powell, John
- Venue
- British Journal of Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
- Published
- 2006-09
- Volume
- 189
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 273-277
- ISSN
- 0007-1250 (ISSN-L)
- 1472-1465
- OpenAlex
- W2074880451
- Cited by
- 253
- References
- 24
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 28 · 2012: 17
- FWCI
- 15.48
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- The British Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Health Services Research and Development
- Health Services Research Programme
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › Information Retrieval and Search Behavior
- Keywords
- internet use, mental health information seeking, online health information, trust in information, psychological distress, psychiatric history, prevalence, General Health Questionnaire
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aged, Educational Status, Female, Health Surveys, Humans, Male, Mental Health, Middle Aged, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Internet
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