Editing Support group (section)

===Mental health===
Although there has been relatively little research on the effectiveness of online support groups in mental health,<ref name=Dean>{{cite journal
| last1       = Dean
| first1      = J
| last2      = Potts
| first2     = HWW
| last3      = Barker
| first3     = C
| date       = 2016
| title      = Direction to an Internet Support Group Compared With Online Expressive Writing for People With Depression And Anxiety: A Randomized Trial
| journal    = JMIR Mental Health
| volume     = 3
| issue      = 2
| pages      = e12
| doi        = 10.2196/mental.5133
| pmid      = 27189142
| pmc      = 4887661
| doi-access = free
}}</ref> there is some evidence that online support groups can be beneficial.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Griffiths |first1=KM |last2=Calear |first2=AL |author-link2=Alison Calear |last3=Banfield |first3=M |date=2009 |title=Systematic review on Internet Support Groups (ISGs) and depression (1): Do ISGs reduce depressive symptoms? |journal=J Med Internet Res |volume=11 |issue=3 |pages=e40 |doi=10.2196/jmir.1270 |pmc=2802256 |pmid=19793719 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Large randomised controlled trials have both found positive effects<ref>{{cite journal
| last1       = Griffiths
| first1      = KM
| last2      = Mackinnon
| first2     = AJ
| last3      = Crisp
| first3     = DA
| last4      = Christensen
| first4     = H
| last5      = Bennett
| first5     = K
| last6      = Farrer
| first6     = L
| date       = 2012
| title      = The effectiveness of an online support group for members of the community with depression: a randomised controlled trial
| journal    = PLOS ONE
| volume     = 7
| issue      = 12
| pages      = e53244
| bibcode    =2012PLoSO...753244G 
| doi        = 10.1371/journal.pone.0053244
| pmid      = 23285271
| pmc= 3532446
| doi-access = free
}}</ref> and failed to find positive effects.<ref name=Dean />