Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Website of patients' experiences launches new module on depression
British Medical Journal news story - " An internet health resource that draws on the experiences of patients to inform others has launched a new module on depression, its first mental health condition. The Database of Individual Patient Experiences (DIPEx) already provides information on 13 conditions, including breast cancer, heart disease, and epilepsy, and distinguishes itself from other sites by relating people’s personal experiences of an illness. For the depression module researchers interviewed 38 men and women between the ages of 16 and 57 from all over the United Kingdom with various types and degrees of depression. They talk about their personal anxieties and, sometimes, despair; which treatments helped them; and how they recovered from their illness. Their stories are available on the website in video, audio, or written format and are backed up with general information about depression and how it is treated..." See also the depression section of the DIPEx web site.