URLs
- National Institute of Mental Health http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml
- National Alliance on Mental Illness https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions/Depression
This paper is aimed at evaluating two websites that are related to such a topic as depression. Both of them were visited on the 25th of March, 2015. It is necessary to assess the format in which the information is presented. Overall, these sources can be used as a starting point for researching this mental disorder.
The first website is maintained by the National Institute of Mental Health. It is one of the largest research organizations that study the underlying causes of various mental illnesses and their treatment. This institution is supposed to assist researchers as well as students who may want to learn more about different aspects of depression as well as other disorders.
In turn, the second website is operated by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. This non-governmental organization can be regarded as the advocacy group which assists those individuals who can be affected by various psychological disorders. One of its specific objectives is to increase public awareness about the symptoms of mental illnesses and the experiences of patients. These are some of the differences that should be taken into account.
While discussing the website of the National Institute of Mental Health, one should mention that several positive aspects can be of great benefit to researchers and students. One of the main advantages is that this online resource contains an index of health topics. Thus, a person can find relevant information relatively quickly. Furthermore, this resource includes a search engine that helps people identify relevant pages. However, it is also possible to speak about some limitations. In particular, the page, which presents the overview of depression, does not include a bibliography or any other links to relevant empirical or theoretical studies (National Institute of Mental Health). Apart from that, this page does not include information about the author, his/her professional background, and the date when the article was created or updated. Nevertheless, it is important to mention that this website contains separate pages that can give readers an in-depth insight into various aspects of this disease, for instance, one can speak about the effect of depression on cancer patients. In this case, the reader can find links to academic books or articles that can be used in various academic papers.
It should be mentioned that the website of the National Alliance on Mental Illness is similar in terms of design. In this case, one can speak about the presence of a search engine and the index of topics. These tools can enable people to navigate this website (National Alliance on Mental Illness). Nevertheless, some drawbacks should be taken into account. In particular, this site does not include information about the author of the article about depression. Furthermore, the article does include a reference list of articles or books that were used for writing this article. This information can be of great benefit to people who want to examine depression in greater detail. Thus, this online resource is not fully sufficient for researchers. This is one of the issues that should not be overlooked.
One cannot give preference to one of these websites because they serve slightly different purposes. In particular, the site of the NIMH can best serve the needs of people who want to start research about this mental disorder. This online resource can help students identify relevant empirical articles. In contrast, the website maintained by the NAMI can benefit individuals who struggle with depression or other mental diseases. This argument is particularly relevant if one speaks about the precautions that should be taken by patients to overcome the effects of this disorder. These are some of the differences that should be taken into account.
There are several things that I learned about depression by using the website of the National Institute of Mental Health. In particular, a person can get a better idea about the main symptoms and diagnosis of depression, different types of this disorder, and available therapies (National Institute of Mental Health). These are some of the main aspects that attracted my attention. Additionally, this website includes information about the current empirical studies of this psychological disorder.
In turn, the website maintained by the National Alliance on Mental Illness provides valuable information about the potential causes of depression and the experiences of patients who may be affected by this disease. Apart from that, this website includes valuable guidelines about how patients can minimize the impacts of this disease. For instance, this individual should refrain from consuming alcohol.
This discussion shows how important to appraise informational resources that are available online. The assessment of these resources can be useful for finding valid information. Overall, the website maintained by the National Institute of Mental Health is more suitable for people who want to carry out in-depth research on this topic. However, the site of the National Alliance on Mental Illness can help patients and relatives. These are the main arguments that can be put forward.
Works Cited
National Alliance on Mental Illness. “Depression.”NAMI. n. d. Web.
National Institute of Mental Health. “What is Depression?” NIMH. n. d. Web.