Posted by Dr. Bob on July 22, 2001, at 13:32:54
[from http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/tele/20010601/msgs/57.html]
> The link below is to a Medscape MedTech article on "Psychiatry via the Internet: Benefits, Risks and Perspectives" from "The First International Symposium on the Internet and Psychiatry" held April 5-6, 2001, in Munich, Ger.
>
http://pharmacotherapy.medscape.com/Medscape/TechMed/journal/2001/v01.n01/mtm0709.01.kenn/mtm0709.01.kenn-01.html
>
> I was amused/interested to see H. Rheingold was a participant--he pioneered the notion of electronic community with "The Well" eons ago in California. The rest of the world is just now beginning to "get it"--decades later; got to give him points for persistence.
>
> If anyone else is interested in perusing this article, impressions and/or comments would be welcome.There are a couple I thought were relevant to us here. I'll comment on them separately.
> Help From the Net: First Experiences With an Internet Depression Community
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> Michael Stein from the NetDoktor depression community, discussed the salient issues of setting up an online community for people suffering from depression... Actively participating members and a moderating host are crucial for the success of such a community
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> Establishing and hosting a new community is not an easy task. According to Internet guru Howard Rheingold, "a good community host has to serve as a host at a party but also represent an "authority," an "exemplar," and a "cybrarian" who nurtures the community memory...
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> Virtual communities on the Internet can overcome time and distance and enhance communication and the exchange of views. Members and participants of NetDoktor register, but anonymity can be maintained within a discussion so that people can feel more comfortable expressing themselves. The users determine how much personal information they disclose. Also because the interaction takes place through writing, participants have more time to think about their comments before putting them into writing and can review/revise their comments before sending. Dr. Stein describes this process as "stimulating conflict between anonymity and intimacy." In other words, this is a positive "conflict" in which the content and process is intimate, but the relationship is anonymous. This provides individuals with some "margin of safety" in learning the intricacies of relationships. In addition to community members, responses come from the doctor who offers consultation, advice and support...
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> Typical members are males and females between the ages of 15 and 29 years, who are mild-to-moderately depressed and feel "misunderstood."... Although the NetDoktor staff has only begun to study the outcomes of this Internet community, they cite the following advantages:
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> For patients: platform to exchange views, stimulates conflict between anonymity and intimacy, increasing self-confidence, starting point to meet people
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> For the doctor: well-informed patients, greater awareness of patient's issues, uncensored quotes, better compliance, better relationship between doctor and patienthttp://pharmacotherapy.medscape.com/Medscape/TechMed/journal/2001/v01.n01/mtm0709.01.kenn/mtm0709.01.kenn-02.html
http://www.psynet-congress.de/abstracts_stein.htm
http://www.netdoktor.com/sites.shtmlTheir group is younger, but I agree with their conclusions. It would be interesting to look at other communities. I'm trying to post a little over there -- and to get them to post a little over here. We've already seen how basic automatic translation can be, so it'll be very experimental...
Bob
PS: I don't know if Rheingold was there in person or just quoted...
poster:Dr. Bob
thread:1630
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20010718/msgs/1630.html