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The Internet Science

Web Chats Help the Chronically Ill 61

Posted by Zonk from the now-we-need-interactive-sites-that-do-real-customer-service dept.
Stephen Samuel writes "Both the CBC and the BBC are reporting on the results of a survey which found that along with an informative, up-to-date, and non-commercialized site, chat-rooms are crucial to the health and well-being of chronically ill patients being provided with 'interactive health communication applications'. Read the original summary of the report (PDF), or google's HTML translation of same" From the BBC article: "The researchers found such sites have largely positive effects on users, making them feel better informed and more socially supported. Overall, people who used such sites appeared to see improvements in the way they looked after their health and in their clinical condition. They also had improved self-efficacy - a person's belief in their ability to carry out potentially-beneficial actions. "
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Web Chats Help the Chronically Ill More

Web Chats Help the Chronically Ill

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  • This just in... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Rob_Ogilvie ( 872621 ) <rob@axpr.net> on Saturday October 22, 2005 @01:51PM (#13853358) Homepage
    Socializing makes humans feel better.

    • Re:This just in... (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Nik13 ( 837926 ) on Saturday October 22, 2005 @02:32PM (#13853535) Homepage
      Yes it does. But socializing and finding people who understand when you're through something difficult can be hard. No offense, but unless you've been through this yourself (or perhaps a close friend or family member), you have NO idea how hard it can be... I was on a chronic pain management program not long ago (T4-T7 messed up), and it wasn't just the profesionnals that helped - it was great for all of us to see we're not alone, to find people that finally understand what you're though, that care, that believe you, that don't think it's in your head or that you're faking and make more friends. (OK, most people don't seem to doubt, but we still tend to believe they do...) Docs will give you pain meds, but it's quite frankly not enough.

      I've heard of 2 other places around here to meet people that live with chronic pain. One's at the hospital downtown (and the average person there is 50 years older than I am), or somewhere that's quite a long drive (and I can't drive because I'm taking too much morphine) and it's still all old folks... I haven't found any good forums or anything on IRC.

      Living with chronic pain (especially when you're single parent) is pretty hard, and I doubt living with any other chronic condition is any easier. I've been considering creating some kind of online help comminity for a while but I just don't have the time or energy right now.

    • Re:This just in... (Score:4, Informative)

      by goliard ( 46585 ) on Saturday October 22, 2005 @03:10PM (#13853700)

      You are being flip, but I'm a graduate student in Mental Health Counseling (as well as a web developer :), and a number of my professors -- including the quite wonderful one I had for my class in Group Therapy, the class text for which extensively documented the benefits of support groups -- are openly skeptical that computer-mediated communication (CMC) even counts as socializing!

      In a strange way, this research supports the controversial contention that CMC actually is socializing, because it shows that some of the results of in-person support groups may also be found in virtual support groups. That certainly suggests the same psychological processes and interpersonal dynamics are going on in both cases, and that is most definitely not a foregone conclusion!

      • Indeed, I was being quite flip. :-)

        I was completely unaware that mental health professionals were skeptical about the value of "CMC" as it relates to socializing. Some of my best friends, I think, are those I have never met before except via email and instant messages. Would they discount them as "social" friends entirely?

        What is the basis for their beliefs?

        I would be quite interested to hear more about this. Hit me on email (rob@axpr.net) if you like, /. isn't the best place, I've found, for back-and-fo
        • I recently finished a master's in counselor education, and some of my professors were excited about the possibilities of CMC and online counseling. The criticisms seemed to be: 1) You miss nonverbal communication such as tone, posture, facial expression, etc. 2) Confidentiality concerns with online communications 3) If you were practicing therapy online, there would be no way to garantee that all participants were in a state where you were licensed to practice.

  • Wait, when... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 22, 2005 @01:52PM (#13853366)
    ..were Web Chats Help the Chronically II and Web Chats Help the Chronically I posted?

  • Exception (Score:5, Funny)

    by obli ( 650741 ) on Saturday October 22, 2005 @01:52PM (#13853367)
    I know one chronic illness it doesn't do anything good for - MMORPG addictions.
    • I know one chronic illness it doesn't do anything good for - MMORPG addictions.

      It's a new MMORPG - "Chronically III".

      I didn't like the first two, but the third is supposed to be really good.

  • No man/woman is an island (Score:4, Insightful)

    by OffTheLip ( 636691 ) on Saturday October 22, 2005 @01:52PM (#13853372)
    One of the super secret benefits of the internet is the way the seemingly unconnected can be connected.

  • A Flock of people. (Score:1, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    In other words as social beings we don't do well without contact with others.

  • Seems obvious (Score:1, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Social interaction with others in a similar situation and becoming an active participant in your treatment. The chat room part is just a new convenient mechanism for accomplishing that.

  • So this means... (Score:3, Funny)

    by $RANDOMLUSER ( 804576 ) on Saturday October 22, 2005 @02:00PM (#13853407)
    Reading and posting on Slashdot makes me more well adjusted?

    WTF???

  • Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Saturday October 22, 2005 @02:08PM (#13853437)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • Indeed. On the other hand, although I use adblock, if I like a site, I'll disable it (ctrl-shift-B) reload, and click on some of the ads. Websites need to generate income somehow, in order to cover hosting costs at the minimum.
  • One of the major things that influence the treatment of an illness, especially in psychology is the patient and doctor's belief that the treatment will actually work.
    Now wouldn't this study just perpetuate the positive effects of socializing over the internet by making patients think it's a part of the treatment that will work?

    Sounds good to me.
    • As nik13 pointed out [slashdot.org], it can be very relieving to have somebody to talk to who understands what you're going thru....
      Sometimes it's nice to be able to say to somebody "man, it took me 1/2 an hour to get the feeling back in my left leg this morning", and people understand exactly what you mean -- You don't have to take 5 minutes to explain why, or worry about people looking at you like you grew an extra arm. The expectation of a common experience releases some of the stress.

      There's also an issue in that

  • When are 'Web Chats Help the Chronicly' 1 & 2 coming out?
  • Because the people helping out with all of that interactive, positive-anecdote information on Exploding Growth Micro-Cap Stocks all seem so generous with their time, and their message boards are all so positive and upbeat. I always feel so good about the time I spend learning about my options.

  • Wired Humanity (Score:4, Insightful)

    by adolfojp ( 730818 ) on Saturday October 22, 2005 @02:16PM (#13853474)
    I've seen a number of people get better from depression just by meeting people with similar conditions online.

    The web does't bring us apart, it brings us together :-)

    Adolfo

    PS. My last dates have been met online. It allows me to meet women with similar interests instead of just going to a bar and scanning whats available.
    • It brings us together in different ways however.

      When there is a common thread drawing like minded folks together, the web can be a wonderful place (slash trolls aside, this place draws together like minded ppl).
      Where it turns is when people start abusing this and unfortunately the web makes it really easy to put on a fake persona.

      Whilst you should enjoy yourself and relax on the web, people should remember not to become too embedded in the web and remember the real people in the same building/surroundings a
    • PS. My last dates have been met online. It allows me to meet women with similar interests instead of just going to a bar and scanning whats available.

      I think I can see the flaw in your technique. It's traditional to scan who's available, not merely what's available. I mean, I'm pretty sure the fire extinguisher has no previous engagements but...

      Cheers,
      Ian

  • I'm chronically III II.

  • Trustworthiness (Score:3, Interesting)

    by cagle_.25 ( 715952 ) on Saturday October 22, 2005 @02:20PM (#13853492) Journal
    FTA,
    "Be deemed trustworthy, both immediately and on subsequent or return visits. A site can establish its trustworthiness by: being accurate having no commercial links being authored or sponsored by a known trustworthy organisation (e.g. the NHS, a local hospital or well-known university) not displaying advertisements. Trust has to be maintained, and can be lost if the site is not updated regularly.
    This turns out to be the most important characteristic. My wife sees patients all the time whose parents have "diagnosed" them based on web info. The web info is usually designed to undermine the trust in the patient's primary care doc by appealing to knowledge that the "medical community has surpressed." The only way to win here is for docs to have information that is both accurate and *viewed* as accurate out there on the web, for free.
    • Well, with many diseases, treatments vary a great deal by country. Some times knowing what else is used and available elsewhere can be helpful.

      Of course, there are other great elements to online support groups.
      • anonymity
      • immediacy

      There can be great comfort, after a diagnosis to talk to someone who has been through the ropes. In a support group you can freely complain about having a bad day, when you know that your family doesn't want to hear it again. Your fellow sufferers can commiserate with you, an

  • ...but shoudln't something be done about the fonts? I read the title as "..,chronically 3". I reread it three times before I got it, I=l and they look totally identical. People in computer security business should treat this seriously, there are already viruses using names like RundII.exe

  • it helped me (Score:4, Insightful)

    by slothman32 ( 629113 ) <pjohnjackson@NOsPAM.gmail.com> on Saturday October 22, 2005 @02:36PM (#13853551) Homepage Journal
    It actually helped me. I seemed to talk less before I was on the web conversing with others, though I don't know if /. users are robots who can pass the Turing test. Since I am more introverted it actually help me become less.
  • Is it really a good idea to hook sick people up with sick people? I can imagine how it might go:

    *[sick_person] enters the chatroom.*
    *[chatter] enters the chatroom.*
    sick person: Hi, I have three months to live.
    chatter: What are you wearing?
    sick_person: I'm wearing a hospital gown.
    chatter: Is it open at the front or the back?
    sick_person: Huh? The back.
    ...

    And it's all downhill from there.
  • Considering how many get chronically ill in the first place

  • Where the Doctor stops and Patient begins (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Fox_1 ( 128616 ) on Saturday October 22, 2005 @03:17PM (#13853735)
    The timing of this article is interesting in that I was doing a google search on my disease to catch up on the latest news and went to slashdot to give myself a break. In the treatment of a medical problem most of a Doctor's focus is on the immediate present symptoms. That's the way they were trained, that's the nature of a triage based health model. The problem is that if the medical problem isn't short term in nature much of the treatment is enough to get the patient out the door, but leaves that person ill-equipped to face the future of their disease/injury/etc. Sometimes there are support groups, but monthly meetings and sometimes just the lack of local membership usually make them of limited use. The online forums and websites dedicated to various chronic conditions are now starting to fill that need for Patients. Some of them are sponsored or run by Medical Professionals, however it's the Patients who actually make the site a success. People coming together to share information about their problems and support others in their time of need. I have only physically met 4 people with my disease in 15 years, online I have tapped into a community of 1000's, 10's of 1000's.
  • Web Chats Help the Chronically Ill

    So, web-chatting is a cure. And all this time I thought it was a symptom...

  • Betcher rump it helps! (Score:3, Informative)

    by MsWillow ( 17812 ) * on Saturday October 22, 2005 @04:04PM (#13853952) Homepage Journal
    I've got secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. Can't take beta seron, can't find a doctor for novantrone, the only other drug for SPMS. I found out about a different drug therapy, antibiotics and statins, that I can get, and is helping me, from a BBS linked to multiplesclerosissucks.com. It's been a life- and sanity-saver for me.
  • Can anyone recommend a good chat-room for sufferers of Paranoid Schizophrenia?
  • I've been working on a project to secure this communications in a health care environment - this way, veterans at home with disabilities can still communicate with their fellow veterans/health care physicians, but in a secure environment so HIPAA guidelines are met. I'll have to show this to my boss, but this is encouraging.
  • Havingsuffered chronic fatigue syndrome for 2 yrs, and been confined to a house for a yr due to it, i can assure you that being able to talk to ppl, even not specifically relalting to your illness is invaluable. A big part of chronic illness is the fact you suddenly become disengaged from society. Friends, family slowy start to stay away as your not the person you once were. The web based chat takes away the necessity of being physically capable of actually going somewhere to talk. It kept me sane throu
  • I have been part of a large group for teens with such problems as self-injury, depression, eating disorders etc.( recoveryourlife.com )and I have found it to be very helpful since it provides an alternative to the many teens who feel alienated from their parents,therapists and schools. It's well known that if teens are feeling depressed and suicidal etc. they will usually talk to their friends before most of the adults in their lives - if at all. A well run forum can give a kid a place to decompress if not
  • I sit and spend hours administrating a website which (to date) has had 16,000 teenagers register on the forums of (in the past year alone). They do this because they want friends, a support network and a bit of advice. I could have told the BBC that online support websites help people who are depressed or disabled or ill, friendships and talking to others really do help to improve an individual's condition. I've seen teenagers use the site, leave for a little bit and then thank us a couple of months down

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