[Bipolar disorder and manic-depressive disorder on the Internet].

OBJECTIVE

The internet is an important source of information and exchange for patients and can exert considerable influence on their health-related behaviours and decisions. This makes the quality of information on the internet an important factor. The present study analyzes the quality of German-language internet information on "bipolar disorder" and "manic-depressive disorder".

METHODS

Two separate searches were conducted with the terms "bipolar disorder" and "manic-depressive disorder", using the Google search engine set to produce only German hits. The quality of the first hundred resulting sites was assessed according to a range of criteria considering form and content.

RESULTS

Comprehensive information on the nature of the illness (such as symptoms and diagnosis) was provided more frequently by sites resulting from the search term "manic-depressive disorder". The term "bipolar disorder" produced more results offering information on evidence-based therapeutic strategies.

DISCUSSION

It is necessary to improve the available internet information on the term "bipolar disorder", and to establish the term as firmly as its predecessor, the term "manic-depressive disorder".