| Abstract: | Abstract One of the most common uses of the Internet is to access health and mental health information. While thousands of Websites have been developed to provide consumers with health and mental health information, little has been done regarding assuring the quality of the material provided. This article presents the quality assurance assessment findings of 80 Websites that provide consumers information on common DSM-IV psychiatric disorders. The results of this assessment found a number of concerns: (1) a lack of evidence of qualified authors; (2) a lack of any formal review, or existence of a review board; (3) a lack of timely updating of the Website material; (4) potential conflicts of interest with advertisements; (5) average readability indexes at the 11.2 grade reading level; and (6) a paucity of Websites that use any evidence of behavior change theories. The authors recommend a standards be established to assure quality of the self-help information provided on the Internet. Furthermore, the authors encourage future Web based self-help efforts to apply the embedded power of the Internet to offer interactive, theory-driven educational interventions to not only improve knowledge, but also behavior. |
