Explicit and implicit information needs of people with depression: a qualitative investigation of problems reported on an online depression support forum

Barney, Lisa J.; Griffiths, Kathleen M; Banfield, Michelle

doi:10.1186/1471-244x-11-88

Cited by 90 publications

(99 citation statements)

References 32 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It is interesting that participants described anti-social behaviour in offline scenarios, yet felt able to converse with others when online. The remote format of the internet enables sharing of experiences with peers (Stjernswärd & Östman, 2006) and may appeal to depressed individuals when other forms of social engagement seem difficult (Barney, Griffiths, & Banfield, 2011;Frye & Dornisch, 2010). The ambivalence expressed by some participants regarding socialisation could be explained within this context, in that belonging to a virtual group with like-minded others is more attractive than real-life interaction.…”

Section: The Negative Selfmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive Theories of Depression in Online Peer Support Forums: Exploring the Cognitive Triad

Pierce

Hoelterhoff

2017

Journal of European Psychology Students

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper explores peer communication in an online support forum for depression, through displays of Beck's cognitive triad. Theoretical semantic thematic analysis of the textual conversations of forum users generated preliminary information on the internet as a platform for the manifestation of depressive symptoms. The study consisted of a two-phase approach. Phase one looked for demonstration of the cognitive triad in user conversations. Phase two analysed how users depicted and responded to peer cognitive distortions, and will form a separate publication. Findings suggest that the cognitive triad is evident in the online textual communication of peer support group members. The practical applications and limitations of the research are discussed in terms of recommendations for future work.

show abstract

Section: The Negative Selfmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive Theories of Depression in Online Peer Support Forums: Exploring the Cognitive Triad

Pierce

Hoelterhoff

2017

Journal of European Psychology Students

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Whatever the proposed social and/or psychological root of a patient's resistance to a depression diagnosis might be, however, the general solution remains the same in all such accounts: the best way to overcome resistance is to propositionally inform the patient of the true character of their condition, that is, to demonstrate that it is a genuine medical disorder, like any other (Barney et al, 2011;Griffiths and Crisp, 2013). This model is schematised in Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(a) That lacking and/or socially-distorted knowledge is the likely root of behaviours that imply a resistance to (or rejection of) a depression diagnosis (Nieuwsma and Pepper, 2010;Barney et al, 2011;Griffiths and Crisp, 2013), and; (b) That furnishing members of the public with more and/or more accurate information about depression is the clearest mechanism through which resistance can be overcome, and positive steps forward taken (Petit and Sederer, 2006;National Institute for Clinical Excellence, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite broader healthcare literature highlighting how contingent concerns at the local and personal levels can be hugely influential in an individual's approach to medical information, however, the core social-cognitive reliance on a "deficit model" (McNeil, 2013) of knowledge around depression as an explicatory mechanism for resistant behaviour remains largely uncontested within practice-facing research and guidance. This, it is not unreasonable to suppose, is connected to the status of depression itself as a "mental illness," a category of diagnoses that is wellevidenced to be less well-understood by the general public than many somatic conditions, and sometimes seen as the medicalization of moodiness, irrational behaviour or even laziness (Tylee and Jones, 2005;Barney et al, 2011;Cook and Wang, 2011). It is important to note that the prospectively troublesome status of public knowledge about depression, although widely thought to have been improving for some time (Pescosolido et al, 2010), is not at stake in this paper any more than the value of transparent information.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Much of the clinically oriented literature previously reviewed proceeds from a central assumption that diagnoses such as depression are more inherently difficult for patients to accept in situ than those of more obviously somatic conditions, as they are less well understood and/or more subject to social stigma (Wolpert, 2001;Barney et al, 2011;Griffiths and Crisp, 2013;Wang et al, 2015). There is a wealth of well-cited research in the CA and DP domains that addresses interaction in which a mental illness category is announced, applied or implied (Antaki et al, 2007a, b;Finlay et al, 2008;Horne and Wiggins, 2009;Tucker, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Depression, rational identity and the educational imperative: concordance-finding in tricky diagnostic moments

Miller

Richardson

2017

Palgrave Commun

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

It is well-documented, within most medical and much health psychology, that many individuals find diagnoses of depression confusing or even objectionable. Within a corpus of research and practical clinical guidance dominated by the social-cognitive paradigm, the explanation for resistance to a depression diagnosis (or advice pertaining to it) within specific interactions is bordering on the canonical; patients misunderstand depression itself, often as an output of an associated social stigma that distorts public knowledge. The best way to overcome corollary resistance in situ is, logically thus, taken to be a clarification of the true (clinical) nature of depression. In this paper, exploring the diagnosis of depression in UK primary care contexts, the social-cognitive position embedded in contemporary medical reasoning around this matter is critically addressed. It is firstly highlighted how, even in a great deal of extant public health research, the link between an individual holding "correct" medical knowledge and being actively compliant with it is far from inevitable. Secondly, and with respect to concerns around direct communication in clinical contexts, a body of research emergent of Discursive Psychology and Conversation Analysis is explored so as to shed light on how non-cognitive concerns (not least those around the local interactional management of a patient's social identity) that can inform the manner in which ostensibly "tricky" medical talk plays-out in practice, especially in cases where a mental illness is at stake. Finally, observations are drawn together in a formal Discursive Psychological analysis of a small but highly illustrative sample of three cases where a depression diagnosis is initially questioned or disputed by a patient in primary care but, following further in-consultation activity, concordance with the diagnosis is ultimately reached -a specific issue hitherto unaddressed in either DP or CA fields. These cases specifically reveal the coordinative attention of interlocutors to immediate concerns regarding how the patient might maintain a sense of being an everyday and rational witness to their own lives; indeed, the very act of challenging the diagnosis emerges as a means by which a patient can open up conversational space within the consultation to address such issues. While the veracity of the social-cognitive model is not deemed to be without foundation herein, it is concluded that attention to local interactional concerns might firstly be accorded, such that the practical social concerns and skills of practitioners and patients alike might not be overlooked in the endeavour to produce generally applicable theories.

show abstract

“r/Thritis”, Pregnancy, and Parenting: A Qualitative Descriptive Study of Reddit Forums to Explore Information Needs and Concerns of Women With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Chew

Rebić

Baldwin

et al. 2019

ACR Open Rheumatology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ObjectiveRheumatoid arthritis (RA) disproportionately affects more women than men, often striking during childbearing years. Because the Internet, particularly social media, is increasingly used by patients with chronic conditions seeking and sharing information, our objective was to conduct a qualitative descriptive study of threads on the social news website, Reddit, to understand the information needs and concerns of women with RA regarding pregnancy and parenting.MethodsWe searched threads (original posts and responses) on three subreddit sites, “r/Thritis,” “r/Rheumatoid,” and “r/BabyBumps,” over a 10‐year period between October 27, 2008, and October 27, 2018. All threads were reviewed, and those that specifically mentioned having RA and fertility/family planning, pregnancy/reproduction, and/or parenting/having children were included. We applied a thematic analysis to the threads, which involved initial line‐by‐line coding, clustering of codes into subcategories and categories, and abstraction into final themes.ResultsWe identified 87 threads and included 59 for qualitative analysis. The thematic analysis led to the identification of five themes. Theme one (finding a community) captures motivations for seeking information online. Themes two (making decisions about pregnancy and having children) and three (worrying about the impacts of arthritis on pregnancy and parenting) capture women's concerns and thought processes. Themes four (information needs for managing arthritis throughout the perinatal period) and five (pregnancy information and resources for women with arthritis) describe the community's specific informational needs.ConclusionA qualitative analysis of publicly available threads about the relationship between RA and issues of pregnancy and parenting identified areas of concern and further information need. These forums also provided an online community where women with RA sought social support and encouragement. Altogether, findings speak to the importance of supporting the information and care needs of women with RA who are pregnant or considering pregnancy.

show abstract

Explicit and implicit information needs of people with depression: a qualitative investigation of problems reported on an online depression support forum

Cited by 90 publications

References 32 publications

Cognitive Theories of Depression in Online Peer Support Forums: Exploring the Cognitive Triad

Cognitive Theories of Depression in Online Peer Support Forums: Exploring the Cognitive Triad

Depression, rational identity and the educational imperative: concordance-finding in tricky diagnostic moments

“r/Thritis”, Pregnancy, and Parenting: A Qualitative Descriptive Study of Reddit Forums to Explore Information Needs and Concerns of Women With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About