Survey responses
The most common responses to the questions are shown as the mean value of the individual country means in Table 2. When looking for information about bipolar disorder, 89 % used a computer and 11 % used a smartphone or tablet. When online, 79 % started looking with a general search engine. 69 % of the patients rated their Internet search skills as basic or intermediate, and 31 % as expert. When searching, 16 % indicated that they always find what they are looking for, 57 % most of the time, 19 % half of the time, 8 % less than half, and 0.3 % never. The primary reasons that patients searched included side effects from prescription drugs (51 %), to learn anonymously (43 %), and because they need help coping (39 %). 62 % of the patients looked for information a couple of times a year, and 38 % looked monthly or more frequently.