Information and Misinformation Online: Recommendations for Facilitating Accurate Mental Health Information Retrieval and Evaluation

Abstract

The Internet is quickly becoming a preferred place to find information. Once people learn the basics of search engines, they can locate information on highly esoteric topics from millions of pages on the web. Retrieving information online is convenient, fast, and can allow access to information that otherwise might not be available because of geographic or other limitations. Finding information is one of the most frequent reasons individuals use the Internet and one of the most highly valued aspects of the Internet among users. Information found online both supplements and replaces traditional sources of information. Every day, 6 million people in the United States go online in search of health and medical information, with an estimated 50 million people in the United States ever having gone online for medical information. However, the quality of available online information varies considerably. The Internet is unregulated, and although there are excellent sites online, there are many sites with misinformation, some promoting products, and others outright scams. Psychologists, especially those working in mental health and educational settings, are finding that clients and students are increasingly turning to the Internet for information. Unfortunately, many lack skills and experience to evaluate the accuracy of the information they find, which can have adverse consequences. It is imperative that psychologists develop tools to help others (and perhaps ourselves) to locate high-quality information and to evaluate online information. This paper presents guidelines for helping students, clients, and others more effectively locate and evaluate online information. Six recommendations are made to alleviate some difficulties inherent in retrieving online mental health information. The first is to provide information and training on how to evaluate information found online. A model for evaluating online information is reviewed. Its key elements include evaluating a site's source and sponsorship, authorship, coverage of stated topic, objectivity vs. quackery and inflammatory remarks, currency and maintenance, site design and privacy. Problems with this system are identified and fiveadditionalrecommendations are made:developandpromote uniform standards for health and mental health sites; evaluate and promote screening devices and develop ones oriented to mental health; tailor websites or website information to needs of consumers; make recommendation tailored to specific population including appropriate gateways, sites and webliographies; initiate research on how users retrieve and evaluate information online, the quality of information online, and effective educational approaches. Annotated resources are included.