mentalhealthchannel.net features physician developed and monitored information about various psychological conditions including depression, schizophrenia, panic disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The site defines each condition and describes symptoms, their possible causes and treatments.

"Mental health disorders affect people of all ages, races, and backgrounds. One in ten Americans suffer each year from some sort of psychological disorder or condition," said Laurie Cabana, R.N., community director for Healthcommunities.com. "mentalhealthchannel.net brings trusted and accessible information to people who may not have had a resource for their mental health condition."

Visitors to the site can chat online with board-certified psychiatrists, as well as with others who may share the same mental health concerns. The new channel provides health care consumers with access to the following features:

• MentalHealthForum: Board-certified psychiatrists address mental health-related questions from browsers in real time. Browsers can also chat with others who may share a similar mental health condition.
• MentalHealthWorld: Contains the latest mental health-related news, including breakthroughs, research results, industry trends and product warnings.
• Live Chats: During a series of scheduled chats, users can interact directly with a participating psychiatrist. These “Live MD Chats” are scheduled every Sunday from 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), and Wednesdays from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. EST. Browsers can also chat with other patients who may share similar mental health conditions. These "Patient to Patient Chats" take place every Tuesday and Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. EST, and on Thursdays from 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. EST.
• Condition Sections: Offers clearly explained, accurate information regarding a variety of relevant mental health conditions. Each section features an overview of the condition as well as its symptoms, causes, diagnostic procedures and treatment options, covering everything from schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, to post-traumatic stress disorder and a variety of phobias.

Healthcommunities.com currently offers 14 medical specialty Web channels, including: alternativemedicinechannel.com™, cardiologychannel.com™, dermatologychannel.net™, HIVchannel.com™, mentalhealthchannel.com™, neurologychannel.com™, oncologychannel.com™, podiatrychannel.com™, pulmonologychannel.com™, radiologychannel.net™, residentchannel.com™, sleepdisorderchannel.net™, urologychannel.com™, womenshealthchannel.com™

The company plans to launch at least 13 more medical specialty channels, including animalhealthhannel.com™, nephrologychannel.com™, familypracticechannel.com™, allergychannel.net™, painchannel.net™, and orthopedicchannel.com™.

Healthcommunities.com®, Inc. a privately held company founded in 1998, provides innovative online resources for health care consumers and professionals. The company’s medical specialty Web channels, in partnership with leading pharmaceutical and medical technology companies, serve health care consumers searching for reliable information. Healthcommunities.com is a Physician Developed and Monitored™ online community providing medical information and resources in a trusted environment.