To the Editor: The recent MJA supplement provides an excellent summary of internet interventions for a range of psychiatric conditions, including anxiety, depression and substance misuse.1 However, in highlighting the positive uses of the internet, it is important to remember other aspects of online engagement that can have a negative impact on patients’ mental health. It is useful to ask patients specifically about their internet activities, as they will not necessarily volunteer this information.
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- University of Adelaide and Ramsay Health Care (SA) Mental Health Services, Adelaide, SA.
- 1. Delivering timely interventions: the impact of the internet on mental health. Med J Aust 2010; 192 (11 Suppl): S1-S56.
- 2. Greysen SR, Kind T, Chretien KC. Online professionalism and the mirror of social media. J Gen Intern Med 2010; Jul 15 [Epub ahead of print].
- 3. Bell V, Grech E, Maiden C, et al. ‘Internet delusions’: a case series and theoretical integration. Psychopathology 2005; 38: 144-150.