Hearing the words "you have cancer" is a traumatic event. Research confirms it's better to find support -- and communicating with others online can help. Researchers have examined the effectiveness of Internet support groups, and they have found that such contact helps in overcoming depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Online support groups can be a useful gateway for cancer patients who are uncomfortable with meeting others. "Many people are quite shy, and they get shyer around their illnesses," says Alison Ross, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in New York City. "It's difficult for them to talk about their medical problems."
Lead author Andrew Winzelberg, Ph.D., of Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California, studied 72 breast cancer patients; of whom 36 participated in an online support group called Bosom Buddies. The women were tested for signs of depression at the beginning and end of the study. Those in the support group were 36 percent less depressed at the end. Women who did not participate in the group remained consistently depressed.
