Many people dealing with mental health issues have found comfort in sharing their stories online with others who experience similar conditions. Despite the popularity of such therapies, however, the body of research on their clinical effectiveness is limited.

To close that gap, Mark Salzer, chair of the Rehabilitation Department at the College of Health Professions and Social Work, recently completed a study of online peer support for people with a mental illness.

The study, which published this month in Social Science and Medicine, examined the well-being of 300 participants with severe mental illnesses, including schizophrenia-spectrum, bipolar, and depressive disorders, who were assigned to either an email list-serv, an online bulletin board community or a control group.

After a year, Salzer and his group found that participation in the online peer support groups did not have a marked effect on the patients’ well being from a statistical standpoint. However, Salzer did find evidence that the subjects who participated in the online peer support groups felt the groups were relevant, supportive and beneficial.

“These groups likely provide some degree of comfort in sharing a similar experience,” said Salzer. “While we can’t yet quantify the benefit with our measurements, it does appear that participants benefit in online contacts with one another.”

The study was only the second randomized, controlled trial of internet peer support for health issues of any type. The first, also conducted by Salzer and his colleagues, examined its effectiveness among women newly diagnosed with breast cancer.

Salzer notes that the lack of statistical evidence for the effectiveness of these groups shouldn’t deter doctors from allowing their patients to use them. “If anything, clinicians should become more familiar with online groups because of their prevalence,” he said. “They should be discussing their use with clients, and talking about ways to safely navigate online resources to get the maximum benefit.”