MELBOURNE, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Australian researchers say a study shows Wikipedia is the most highly rated Web site for accessing information on mental-health related topics.
Researchers at the University of Melbourne said they assessed a range of online and print material on mental-health topics.
Content about mental health was extracted from 14 frequently accessed Web sites including Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica, and from a psychiatry textbook, and text providing information about depression and schizophrenia was assessed.
The content was rated by experts for accuracy, how current the information is, breadth of coverage, referencing and readability.
Although ratings varied significantly between resources, in the majority of cases Wikipedia was the most highly rated in most domains, the researchers said.
"We know that people seeking information about mental disorders want real-time answers and assistance with accessing help," researcher Nicola Reavley said.
"The Internet is instant and Wikipedia is often the first stop for people looking for definitions, explanations and information about suggested treatments.
"While there have been controversies about the accuracy of Wikipedia in the past and people are not always sure about trusting it -- this study suggests that people can trust it to a reasonable extent," she said.
