title: Internet use by patients with psychiatric disorders in search for general and medical informations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Internet is commonly used by the general population, notably for health information-seeking. There has been little research into its use by patients treated for a psychiatric disorder.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the use of internet by patients with psychiatric disorders in searching for general and medical information.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 2007, 319 patients followed in a university hospital psychiatric out-patient clinic, completed a 28-items self-administered questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two hundred patients surveyed were internet users. Most of them (68.5%) used internet in order to find health-related information. Only a small part of the patients knew and used criteria reflecting the quality of contents of the websites consulted. Knowledge of English and private Internet access were the factors significantly associated with the search of information on health on Internet.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Internet is currently used by patients treated for psychiatric disorders, especially for medical seeking information.
authors.affiliation: Division of Substance Abuse, Geneva University Hospitals, Rue verte 2, 1205, Geneva, Switzerland. yasser.khazaal@hcuge.ch
authors.forename: Yasser
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Khazaal
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chatton
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cochand
authors.forename: Aliosca
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hoch
authors.forename: Mona B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Khankarli
authors.forename: Riaz
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Daniele Fabio
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Zullino