Link: Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters.

"Researchers at an Australian university have found that regular visits to therapeutic and educational web sites can successfully treat depression. Researchers directed patients to The MoodGYM, a cognitive behavior therapy site, and BluePages, a depression education site. After 12 months, users of both web sites reported improvement, with the educational site working out better than the behavior therapy site. A psychotherapist who did not participate in the study says that the results aren’t all that surprising. ‘Cognitive behavioral strategies ‚Äî sometimes in conjunction with medication ‚Äî are the most effective means of treating depression,’ and ‘a person who is visiting an educational site like BluePages is taking the necessary steps with her own self-care. That’s a key component of successful treatment for depression’"

This site (Bluepages) might be worth bookmarking for those of us who are in pastoral ministry. I’ve had a great deal of experience trying to find effective ways to provide pastoral care and support to parishioners who under medical care for depression. BluePages has some good suggestions.