There is a lot of misinformation on the Internet. Here are some websites that reliably provide factual information about mental health. Information is not a substitute for treatment, but it can be helpful.
International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation
This is the website of a non profit organization whose mandate is to help individuals with OCD and related disorders, and their family members, friends and loved ones. There is a very practical resource on this site that provides questions to ask potential health care providers, so you can determine if you’re likely to receive appropriate treatment.
The Mayo Clinic is a large Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, and they have developed an excellent, easily searchable site with information on many medical and psychological problems. The content is written so that no specialized knowledge is necessary to understand it. (It’s also an easy name to remember for many people, so in moments you’re tempted to resort to a random Google search, hopefully ‘Mayo’ comes to mind).
The National Institute of Mental Health
The NIMH is a federally funded agency for research on mental health disorders. Their website is a great resource for professionals as much as for the public. There is a huge amount of good information to be found here, much of it quite technical.
This great website designed for the public provides a lot of very accessible information about different anxiety disorders and their cooresponding evidence-based treatments.
Georgia Southern University Stress and Relaxation Management Website
A colleague sent me this link once, and I have found it to be a great resource for both patients and other professionals. It’s free to access, and there is a lot of good general information about stress management and relaxation training. It is especially convenient as for each relaxation strategy on the site you’re able to download either a .pdf or .mp3 file, depending on your preference to either read or listen.
College of Psychologists of Ontario
Every Regulated Health Practitioner legally must be a member of their professional college in order to practice. Following from this, every practicing psychologist in Ontario must be registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. The CPO is not a school, as the name would suggest, but rather, an organization mandated to protect the public, and ensure that psychologists are providing the highest quality services. There is a lot of good information about psychology as a profession on this site. These are also the people who you need to speak to if you need to make a complaint regarding a psychologist’s professional conduct.
Ontario Psychological Association
The Ontario Psychological Association’s mandate is to promote mental health and advance the profession of psychology by advocating for changes in the health care system to improve access to care, facilitate continuing education for psychologists, and support innovative research. This website has great fact sheets about specific psychological disorders, and how they are best treated.
Canadian Psychological Association
The Canadian Psychological Association is the national professional association for the advocacy of psychology. Their mandate is similar to that of the Ontario Psychological Association.
American Psychological Association
Like the Ontario Psychological Association, and the Canadian Psychological Association, the American Psychological Association is an advocacy group for mental health and psychological services. This site also has a series of helpful fact sheets about coping with traumatic events, natural disasters, and various issues that individuals may face in their daily lives.