Taming mental-health-focused popular literature: A crazy idea?

Providing tailored and easily accessible health information for mental health clinicians and patients can be enabled through Information Technology and Communications (ITC). The literature is mixed regarding the quality, utility and accessibility of health information in the popular press for this purpose. However, there is consensus that mental health information in the popular press is readily available, easily comprehended by patients, and is continually updated. We report the process by which mental-health-focused articles in the popular press are identified, screened, and disseminated to a large network of doctoral level psychologists (the PsyUSA network). We analyze 4-year article distribution and access data, and conclude that the distribution of mental-health-related popular press articles prompted article access. We leverage this experience to formulate a model for direct access to clinician-vetted mental-health-related popular press through a curated web based archive.