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Depersonalization in cyberspace
M V Lambert1, C Senior, M L Phillips
1Depersonalisation Research Unit, Institute of Psychiatry and GKT School of Medicine, De Crespigny Park, London, United Kingdom.
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
|November 28, 2000
Summary
The Internet can be a valuable tool for clinical psychiatric research, enabling the recruitment of participants for studies on depersonalization disorder. Online recruitment showed similar demographics but less depression compared to clinic-based recruitment.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Internet Research
Background:
- Depersonalization disorder is a complex psychiatric condition.
- Traditional clinical research recruitment methods can be time-consuming and resource-intensive.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the feasibility of using the Internet for clinical research in depersonalization disorder.
- To compare participant characteristics recruited online versus through traditional clinical settings.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of psychometric and demographic variables between two groups of depersonalization disorder patients: one recruited online, the other from a clinical unit.
- Analysis of data from an online depersonalization bulletin board to gather information on symptoms, triggers, and treatments.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in demographics or depersonalization features were found between online and clinic-recruited groups.
- Patients recruited from the clinic reported significantly higher levels of depression.
- Online bulletin board data provided valuable insights into symptoms, precipitants, and treatment of depersonalization disorder.
Conclusions:
- The Internet is a viable and potentially valuable tool for clinical psychiatric research, particularly for recruiting specific patient populations.
- Online recruitment may yield different participant profiles (e.g., lower depression rates) compared to traditional methods.
- Internet-based platforms can facilitate the collection of rich qualitative data on psychiatric conditions.