Online Forums Can Either Help Depressed People Recover or Make them Suicidal

A new study suggests that online forums and other Internet resources can help depressed people recover by providing them the support and encouragement they need. However, there is still a negative influence of them having suicidal thoughts.

Paul Montgomery, lead author of the study and a professor of Psycho-Social Intervention from the University of Oxford, and his colleagues reviewed 14 earlier studies with varying results linking online forums to depression-related self-inflicted pain such as cutting or burning. The participants of the study are below age 25.

The researchers found that online forums have both positive and negative impacts on depressed people. The negative impacts they found include avoidance of professional help, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts.

Half of the studies they reviewed showed that online forums help depressed people recover as others encourage them not to hurt themselves and share positive stories. However, there were five studies which showed that people are most likely to get negative thoughts because they meet people looking for suicide buddies and were sometimes bullied.

Researchers do not encourage people to stop Internet use when depressed but rather recommend organizations to develop online resources that people can use.

Joe Ferns of the Samaritans told BBC, "We should acknowledge that many people are using suicide forums and chatrooms to anonymously discuss their feelings of distress and despair, including suicidal thoughts, which may have a positive impact on the individual. They may be expressing feelings that they have never disclosed to anyone in their offline lives.

Meanwhile, professionals clarified that while online forums may help depressed people recover from their situation, the process is totally different from therapy. They recommend parents to support their children and not letting them find it online.

"The best thing to do is have a conversation with young people who one knows are self-injuring and maybe ask if they're getting information online, ask if they're accessing online communities … and find out what their experience is with that," said researcher Janis Whitlock of Cornell University to Reuters. She is not part of the study.

The study was published in the Oct. 30 issue of PLOS One.