Peer Review

3

NIMH: Opinion or Fact

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) was formed in 1946 and is one of 27 institutes that form the National Institute of Health (NIH) (NIMH, 2019). The mission of the NIMH is “To transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery, and cure.” (NIMH, 2019). There are many different mental illnesses discussed on the NIMH website to include Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The NIMH website about ADHD is effective at providing the public general information and meets the criteria of authority, objectivity, and currency.

The NIMH website about ADHD provides an overview of ADHD, discusses signs and symptoms, and risk factors. The NIMH continues with information about treatment and therapies. Information provided by the NIMH is intended for both children and adults. The NIMH concludes on the page with studies the public can join and more resources for the public such as booklets, brochures, research and clinical trials.

As described by Jim Kapoun authority can be identified by who or what institution/organization published the document and if the information in the document is cited correctly (Cornell, 2020). The information on the website is published by the NIMH which is the lead research institute related to mental health for the last 70 plus years (NIMH, 2019). On the page related to ADHD the NIMH references the program of Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) and provides a hyperlink to access the resources available with the agency (NIMH,2019). This link can be found under the support groups section in the treatment and therapies. On the website to the right of the area describing inattention the NIMH has a section on research. In this block there is a link to “PubMed: Journal Articles about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)” which will take you to a search of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) published by PubMed on ADHD (NIMH, 2019). Throughout the entire page the NIMH provides sources and hyperlinks to the sources as citations. Based on the reputation of the NIMH and the citations to the source material the website meets the criteria of authority.

According to Kapoun objectivity can be identified looking for areas where the author expresses his or her opinion (Cornell, 2020). Information provided on the NIMH page about ADHD does not express the opinion of the author. The author produces only factual information based on research. The NIMH makes it a point not to mention the names of medications when discussing treatments and only explains the medications fall in two categories stimulants and non-stimulants (NIMH, 2019). In this same area the NIMH provides hyperlinks to the NIMH Mental Health Medication and FDA website for information about medication. The extent at which the NIMH goes to not provide an opinion on the website meets the criteria for objectivity.

The criteria of currency is described by Kapoun as how often the page is updated and if the links on the page itself are still current. In September of 2019 the NIMH updated the page on ADHD. A check of every link on the page revealed all the links are active and up to date. The NIMH also provides a section at the top of the page, to the right of the overview, titled “Science News About Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)” (NIMH, 2019). These are some of the most up to date articles and studies on ADHD available to the public. This information displays the NIMH website on ADHD meets the criteria of currency.

To summarize, the NIMH has a long history of providing the public with the leading information on mental health disorders. The NIMH meets the criteria of authority by providing the public information which is verified through credible sources which are properly cited. Objectivity is met by how the NIMH ensures no opinions are provided on the website. As for currency, the NIMH updates the website regularly, ensures all links are active and update, and provides a section with the most up to date articles and studies on ADHD. For these reasons the NIMH website about ADHD is effective at providing the public general information and meets the criteria of authority, objectivity, and currency.

References

Content, except the Appendix, based on Jim Kapoun's "Teaching undergrads WEB evaluation: A guide for library instruction." C&RL News (July/August 1998): 522-523. Used with permission, from http://guides.library.cornell.edu/evaluating_Web_pages/categories

National Institute of Mental Health (2019). Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder. Retrieved March 10, 2020, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/index.shtml