Blogging for Better Health: Putting the “Public” Back in Public Health
The reading titled “Blogging for Better Health” is closely related to my study of prescription drug abuse. The article tells how many bloggers are now using blogs to provide and retrieve medical information. Additionally, blogs are being used by mental health bloggers as a way to cope, socially connect, and form identity. Therefore, blogs can be used as technical support for prescription drug abuse information, as well as emotional support for those coping with drug addiction and the mental health issues that go along with it.
Blogs offer a way for people to provide, research, and gain information on medical issues that may pertain to them. Blogs can act as testimonials for prescription drugs, and may warn readers of possible risks associated with them. For example: risks of addiction, overedose, and health problems associated with particular prescription drugs. Besides the informational aspect, blogs can offer emotional support for drug abusers.
The article gives the argument that blogs can be used as a form of treatment for those requiring emotional support. For example, cancer patients that suffer from mental health issues can research blogs not only for information, but to get a “more positive attitude” and be more “active in participating in their treatment.” Prescription drug abuse is closely associated with mental health, and co-exists with it. Blogging acts very similar to drug abusers seeking emotional support and a positive attitude towards recovery. According to the article, research shows that, “questioning and reformulating one’s life story can renew a sense of meaning and possibility.”
