Utilization of e-mental-health and online self-management interventions of patients with mental disorders—A cross-sectional analysis

BackgroundWeb-based treatments and online self-management interventions extend the range of therapeutic supply. Since the number of online self-management interventions is steadily increasing, we aimed to examine, how web-based services currently influence mental health care, asking about previous internet use and future interests of patients with mental disorders.MethodsWe consulted patients (n = 400) from all services of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the University of Leipzig using a 28-item questionnaire. Overall, 301 questionnaires could be used for analysis. The data were analysed by means of descriptive statistics and group comparisons.ResultsThe majority of patients (98.3%) were using the internet. Data revealed younger patients were searching for information on diseases (p p p (p = .011; M = 58.3 ±10.9) and psychiatrists (p (p p = .003; university degree = 59.2%, high school degree = 52.3%; mandatory school degree: 34.8%).ConclusionsWhile only a small percentage of patients uses online self-management interventions, there is a far greater interest to include them into the treatment. Further research has to investigate how the integration of web-based services into the whole treatment process can be optimized. In addition, standardized diagnostic methods have to be found to evaluate the needs and experiences of patients.