A Detailed Study on the Effectiveness of Internet-based Self-help Interventions for Adolescents' Mental Health

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of internet-based self-help interventions for adolescents' mental health. An investigation of internet-based self-help interventions aimed at reducing mental health symptoms such as anxiety and depression, as well as managing high levels of stress, in adolescents was conducted. In literature, self-help readers elicit polarized views. Even though little research has been conducted specifically on self-help readers who suffer from mental illnesses, existing commentary indicates there is a particular tension: clinical researchers report good outcomes for depressed readers who participate in bibliotherapy programs that employ self-help books, which are comparable or superior to medication or talk therapy. On the other hand, media and culture scholars’ express reservations regarding the quality of self-help texts and emphasize the negative effects of therapeutic discourse on readers and audiences in general. In our review, however, we investigated how real readers interact with self-help books, particularly as they navigate mental illness experiences. Based on a reader-response heuristic we used to review different articles, this paper examines some of the ways habitual readers of self-help books describe their own interpretive activities, challenging previous research that either understates or understates the significance of vernacular audiences.