Primary Care Patients With Depression for Internet-Based Social Support

The purpose of this study is to develop and pilot test two interventions that lead to at least 30% of individuals with depression presenting to primary care engaging with an Internet-based depression support group. The investigators will identify primary care patients with depression who state they have access to the Internet and are willing to consider treatment for depression. In the primary care office they will be given one of three interventions introducing them to the Internet depression support group site. The major outcome will be accessing the depression Internet support group at least once in the following four weeks. The results of this study will provide important information on whether it is possible to recruit a substantial proportion of primary care patients to engage in a potentially useful and inexpensive addition to standard depression care. If this is not possible, the likelihood of successfully completing a RCT of the effectiveness of depression Internet support groups utilizing primary care patients would be low. Researchers trying to assess the effectiveness of depression Internet support groups would have to go to alternative designs such as recruiting patients with depression as they try to join the depression Internet support groups and randomizing some to a delay in joining the group.