title: Anxiety and depression - online resources and management tools.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There are significant unmet needs for psychological interventions for anxiety and depression in the population. e-health resources complement existing services by providing high quality information, symptom prevention, management interventions and peer support.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This article discusses e-health anxiety and depression resources offered by Australian providers and the ways in which general practitioners can assist their patients in accessing the diverse range of available resources.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After appropriate diagnostic assessment, and as an adjunct to treatment according to best evidence based practice, GPs may consider referring patients to online information, support and assessment sites and/or prevention or treatment programs. People experiencing anxiety and depression are particularly likely to seek information online and may also value peer support online. There is now good evidence that symptom prevention and management programs can be effective in adults. Evaluation of programs for children and adolescents has also been encouraging. Current and future research will clarify the role of delivery factors such as therapist support that may influence effectiveness in clinical settings.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Mental Health Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. julia.reynolds@anu.edu.au
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reynolds
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Griffiths
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Christensen
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D001315:Australia; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D058006:General Practice; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination / Q000379:methods; D020407:Internet; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D012657:Self-Help Groups