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TOPIC: Online peer support services are increasingly recognized as valuable resources for individuals living with depression to be proactively involved in the management of their mental health and well-being. PURPOSE: The paper summarizes the research which has thus far explored the efficacy of online peer support services for people with depression and raises important questions for consideration of future research. SOURCES USED: Published literature on online peer support services for people with depression. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Online peer support services can provide many advantages for people living with depression. However, given the limited empirical evidence of the efficacy of online peer support services specifically for depression, future research is required to substantiate the anecdotal evidence of these services. Obtaining a greater understanding of such services will facilitate the development of more effective and meaningful services to assist those living with depression.
Melling et al. (Sat,) studied this question.