Who uses mental health support forums, and why? Triangulating findings from surveys, interviews, and forum posts

Mental health services in the UK are increasingly pressured with long waiting times. Meanwhile, online forums for mental health, set up by charities, NHS services, and individual volunteers, have increased in popularity. Little is known, however, about who is using them and why. This study aimed to investigate this, using multiple methods to capture different types of users.

A mixed-methods approach was used, with participants recruited from seven UK-based mental health forums. 791 forum users participated in a survey which was compared to the demographics of people accessing NHS Talking Therapies. 20 forum users took part in interviews, which were thematically analysed for reasons for use. Finally, the top keywords in the forum posts (a corpus of 28 million words) were calculated using the log likelihood test of statistical significance. One keyword was identified consistently across the forums, so its collocation profile was analysed.

Surveys showed the forums were predominantly used by white, female, and younger people, though there was greater ethnic diversity and a higher proportion of non-binary people compared to NHS Talking Therapies. Thematic analysis of interviews indicated that people used forums because they are easily accessible, making it possible to overcome barriers to in-person support, such as the need to speak. Participants sought emotional support, advice, and connection with others experiencing similar challenges. The linguistic analysis showed “scared” was a common keyword across the forums, with common collocations beingI’m scared becauseandscared of. Reviewing the posts showed users tended to share fears over mental health symptoms and identity.

Online forums serve as important alternative and complementary sources of mental health support, particularly for people who face discrimination or logistical barriers in accessing traditional services. These forums provide accessible, anonymous spaces for peer support, helping users to share fears and connect with others in similar situations.