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Who to Trust for Mental Illness Information

October 7, 2010 Natasha Tracy

There is no shortage of mental illness information online, but all sources are not created equal, what health information sources can you trust?

I mentioned in my last post how it is the best of times and the worst of times for mental illness and treatment education. There is no shortage of online sources of mental illness information: websites, discussion groups, blogs, news, self-assessment tests and everything else in between. It's as if we can diagnose ourselves and pick our own treatment all without leaving the warmth of our laptop on our thighs.

But the anonymity of the internet means that everyone you meet might just be a 12-year-old girl with a big vocabulary and no idea what she's talking about. So just who are you supposed to trust for mental illness information?

Mental Illness Reporting in the News

The news is a great place to learn about the latest on Lindsay Lohan or why your bar of soap might be secretly killing you, but it's not a good place for accurate medical reporting. News media runs on sensationalism. They have to in order to grab an audience. As such even principled papers like the New York Times run pieces that are horribly one-sided and focus on a tiny piece of a huge overall picture. So enjoy your Sunday crossword puzzle with coffee, but don't expect actual education on mental health issues.

Famous People and Mental Illness

This is an even worse place to learn from than the news. While certainly there are some really caring people who happen to be famous and also want to help people, that number is infinitesimal. Famous people have no more credibility than your next-door neighbor, in fact, they may have less.

Mental Illness Blogs

Well, here I am, writing on a blog, so you'd think I'd be a big fan, well, I'm not. Not because I don't know what I'm talking about, but very much the opposite: I do know what I'm talking about. When I write an article it is either my opinion and clearly stated as such or is evidence-based and has linked source material. I would never state that no one should take antipsychotics because that's an incredibly ignorant thing to say with no basis in actual fact.

But as blogs are an informal medium and people feel free to say such things with impunity. People will tell you what meds to take, meds not to take, therapies to try, supplements to eat, diets to have and pretty much everything else. These are not accurate and they are not based in fact unless they are documented by reputable sources. You cannot believe what you read in a blog unless you investigate it first. You just can't.

[And as a side note, advertisers will slip ads directly into blog copy so it appears the author wrote it and is endorsing their product. I've had offers to do this. I find it abhorrent.]

Mental Health Websites

Websites often look very official and appear to provide accurate and impartial information. You absolutely cannot believe a book, or a website, by its graphic design. Websites are often put up by special interest groups and some of these look very real but are in fact simply placed there with biased quotes and for the purpose of an agenda, generally anti-psychiatry. No, you cannot believe it just because it's on a website, even if the website looks really good.

If you do want to vet a website, make sure it's overseen by doctors, and not just any doctors, but doctors who can be verified and are in good medical standing. Not everyone who writes for a website has to be a doctor, but a doctor should oversee all content. The content should be impartial. A website that's specifically anti-benzodiazepine, for example, isn't. And finally, you can look for the HONcode seal (seen here and at the bottom of every HealthyPlace page). HONcode is a non-profit, non-governmental global organization that aims to certify ethical standards in health information on the web.

And don't forget, every author, including doctors, should disclose any possible conflicts of interest.

Trust But Verify

And even if you check the above, you have to verify it by talking to a real flesh-and-blood doctor, because even if the people reporting the information try to be accurate, they might be wrong, or it might not apply to you due to special circumstances. There is no replacement for a doctor when it comes to mental health information.

You Can Have Any Opinion You Want, Just Don't Represent It As Fact

This is the internet after all, and everyone has the right to get on any soapbox they want. Just remember to engage your critical thinking skills when reading and writing such things, because it's your brain and the brains of others, on the line.

You can find Natasha Tracy on Facebook or @Natasha_Tracy on Twitter.

APA Reference
Tracy, N. (2010, October 7). Who to Trust for Mental Illness Information, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2024, March 19 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/breakingbipolar/2010/10/who-to-trust-for-mental-illness-information



Author: Natasha Tracy

Natasha Tracy is a renowned speaker, award-winning advocate, and author of Lost Marbles: Insights into My Life with Depression & Bipolar. She's also the host of the podcast Snap Out of It! The Mental Illness in the Workplace Podcast.

Find Natasha Tracy on her blog, Bipolar BurbleTwitter, InstagramFacebook, and YouTube.

Natasha Tracy
November, 19 2010 at 1:22 am

Castorgirl,
I couldn't agree more. I am extremely fussy about to whom I listen. I wish more people would do more digging. And yes, people online are just people online. You can't necessarily believe anything they have to say - you have to validate who they are and what they're saying. I don't tend to believe anything that hasn't been published in peer-reviewed journals, but that's me.
I do think it's a good point to look for any ethical or medical complaints. I would recommend just verifying all medical information with a real, live doctor that you trust, but they too could be checked for complaints.
Good point.
- Natasha

castorgirl
November, 18 2010 at 11:53 pm

As a librarian, all I can say is that it is amazing how incredibly intelligent people can be mislead by what they find online... I do information literacy classes where I show my students sites like Havidol, and ask them to look it over and evaluate it. It's amazing the reactions! Then I show them something like Symbicort or Feline reactions to bearded men. It's amazing what I can convince the students of, just by the way I present the information.
The other thing I would add about getting information from a doctor or therapist, is to see if they have any disciplinary or sanction actions against them, or pending; and see if they have any ethical guidelines easily seen - including complaint procedures. To complicate things, if you find them online, double check which country they are in, and see if those complaint procedures apply to you and where you are from.
There's some brilliant information online, but you have to shift through a lot of rubbish to find it.
Take care,
CG

Natasha Tracy
November, 18 2010 at 7:19 pm

Hi Martha.
Thanks. I look forward to reading your comments.
- Natasha

Martha
November, 18 2010 at 4:46 pm

great writing Natasha! I look forward to reading all your work.

Natasha Tracy
October, 8 2010 at 2:29 pm

Hi Heather,
I agree completely, thanks for bringing that up. The relationship between doctor and patient is critical for successful treatment.
And while sometimes 2nd opinions are hard to get (usually for insurance reasons) they are worth it when you feel the initial opinion doesn't fit.
- Natasha

Heather Whistler
October, 8 2010 at 12:39 pm

Talking to a doctor is critical, but make sure it's a doctor who really listens to what you (and your family members) are telling him/her about your unique circumstances. If you don't feel like your doctor is paying enough attention to your health, get a second opinion there, too.

Mom, Interrupted
October, 7 2010 at 7:44 pm

First and foremost I trust myself. After ten years I have become very observant of everything from heart rate to tone of voice.
I take all information and absorb what I need, leave what I don't. But, I am always learning. I am a firm believer that this illness is unique to the individual and one must be very diligent in obtaining advice, doing their research and find the right medical professional fro them.
The individual is so unique they require their own treatment plan, no one can compare, or follow another; every brain has the potential to react differently.

World Wide News Flash
October, 7 2010 at 9:46 am

Who to Trust for Mental Illness Information | Breaking Bipolar ......
I found your entry interesting do I've added a Trackback to it on my weblog :)...

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