In the era of internet, just about any piece of information we want is theoretically at our fingertips. The problem? So is a huge amount of misinformation. That can be problematic in a bunch of different contexts, but it’s especially troubling when we’re trying to learn about our mental wellness. Fortunately, some guidelines can help you find trustworthy mental health resources online.

To help you wade through the less-than-great and straight-up inaccurate bits of information that are out there to find resources that can actually help you, we have a few recommendations. 

#1: Turn to trusted tools

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There are a bunch of established organizations that offer trustworthy mental health resources themselves. Beyond that, if a good organization — like the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) or Mental Health America (MHA) — recommends another resource, they’ve almost definitely vetted it. As a result, you can trust that recommendation. 

To help you find trustworthy mental health resources online, we recommend picking up your research with:

• NAMI’s mental illness information and the organization’s education offering
• MHA’s mental health information and the tools to find help
• The mental health info from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) — which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• SAMHSA provides public messages related to substance abuse and mental illness 
• The American Psychological Association’s guides on different mental health topics 
• The American Psychiatric Association’s similar topic guides
• The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s website in general, which offers help in different suicide prevention scenarios
• The California Health and Human Services Agency provides a vast amount of resources that are aimed to support mental health for youth

These are all knowledgeable organizations presenting evidence-based information. As you read webpages or blogs on any of these sites, you can trust that it was reviewed by a mental health expert. 

#2: Check key criteria

If you find information outside of an established organization’s website, it may still be valuable. To check that you’re only leaning on trustworthy mental health resources, try and evaluate a few things:

• Who wrote it? Is the author someone with mental health expertise (like a licensed marriage and family therapist [LMFT], licensed professional counselor [LPC], licensed mental health counselor [LMHC], national certified counselor [NCC], licensed clinical social worker [LCSW], or even a professor of psychology at a university)?
• When did they write it? Just like physical health, new research continues to change treatment options for mental health. While a post from the early 2000s might not necessarily contain blatant misinformation, compare it against more current sources, too. The more current, the more promising.
• Where is it being hosted? If it’s on a website you can trust, that’s a good sign. If it’s on Jill Doe’s random blog page, it might not have the authority you want. 
• Is it sponsored? A lot of content on the internet today has one goal: promoting the sale of a product or service. There are absolutely some good resources that recommend contacting a specific therapist or looking into a certain mental health tool like an app. Be wary, though, when you notice that something is getting pushed to you throughout the piece. 

#3: Ask a therapist

If you’re still not sure if you should trust something you’ve found online, ask a mental health expert. The therapists at our centers in Ventura and Tarzana can help you identify trustworthy mental health resources and steer clear of potentially problematic ones. 

For help getting the information you need to support your personal mental wellness journey, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at the Ventura Counseling & Wellness Center or the West Valley Counseling Center.