Internet forums for anxiety and depression disorders: A comparative analysis of language use

Internet forums have become an attractive communication alternative for many people with health problems such as psychological disorders. The analysis of exchanged messages in Internet forums provides information about users communication styles. In this exploratory study we analyze and compare language use in the exchanged messages between participants in two Internet forums on psychological problems: one for anxiety problems and another for depression. Three hundred and forty messages were analyzed (170 from the anxiety group and 170 from the depression group) through LIWC program, which is based on word count and classification according to different categories (affective and social processes, physical functions, etc.). Results showed significant differences in participants language use when comparing both forums (anxiety or depression).