Can online support groups help those with mental illness?

People with a mental illness say that online peer support groups are helpful, according to Rehabilitation Sciences Chair Mark Salzer and colleagues, who studied the effectiveness of online peer support for people with a mental illness in the first randomized, controlled trial of its type. "These groups likely provide some degree of comfort in sharing a similar experience. While we can't yet quantify the benefit with our measurements, it does appear that participants benefit in online contacts with one another," he said.
Feb. 24, 2011 | United Press International