Research Guides: NU 412: Psychiatric / Mental Health Nursing Resources: Internet Resources

Finding Psychiatric and Mental Health Web Sites

Google is useful for finding Web sites. Check out Google's Cheat Sheet for tips on using Google more effectively. The library also has guides and tutorials to help you navigate the Web.

Another great tool for locating health-related Web sites is MedlinePlus. MedlinePlus will lead you to Web sites that will answer medical questions. These Web sites have been reviewed for authority by experts from the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. Sites found through MedlinePlus are great starting points and are particularly useful for patients.

Selected Psychiatric Nursing/Mental Health Web Sites

Alzheimer's Association
The Alzheimer's Association envisions a world without Alzheimer's disease and supports research into all aspects of the disease.
American Association of Suicidology
This is an education and resource organization seeking to understand and prevent suicide.
American Psychiatric Nurses Association
This important nursing association promotes leadership in mental health nursing, seeks to improve mental health care for diverse patient groups, and seeks to shape policies related to mental health issues.
American Psychological Association
The APA is the professional organization that represents psychology in the United States.
NAMI-National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
The mission of this national organization formed in 1979 includes the eradication of mental illnesses and improving the quality of lives of those suffering from mental illnesses.
National Guideline Clearinghouse
The NGH is a freely available database of evidence-based guidelines for clinical practice. This database is searchable by disease, treatment, intervention, and organization. Use the Guideline Comparison tool to compare guidelines authored by different entities.
National Institute of Mental Health
The NIMH is one component of the National Institutes of Health and is the main federal entity responsible for supporting research on the mind, brain and behavior. Several mental health topics are covered on this site.
National Mental Health Association
The NMHA is the largest and oldest non-profit mental health organization in the United States.
QSEN: Quality and Safety Education for Nurses
The overall goal for the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) project is to meet the challenge of preparing future nurses who will have the knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSAs) necessary to continuously improve the quality and safety of the healthcare systems within which they work.
SAMHSA
SAMHSA's mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities.

Website Evaluation Tips

Check out these tips when deciding to use an online source. Always be skeptical.

Authority: Who is responsible for creating the web page? Is there a publisher or sponsor of the web page? Can you find information about the author and publisher?
Audience: Who is this web site created for? Is the content geared towards an age group or population group?
Accuracy: How does the information compare to other sources?
Content: What is the content of the web site: images, articles, a blog? The type of domain (.edu, .gov, .org) may provide some clues about the information. Can you detect a bias? Are there cited references?
Currency: How recent is the web site? Is there information on when it was last updated?