Andrew LaVallee

Bette Ghidotti had hoped to spend some time on the beach while at her Sarasota, Fla., vacation home, but fatigue from her cancer treatment was keeping her indoors. Though she could have brought up her symptoms with her doctor, her semimonthly appointments are focused on chemotherapy and prescriptions, she says, leaving little time for discussing anything else.

“My doctor, once in a while, will say it’s depression, but I don’t really feel depressed,” says the 73-year-old retired nurse. And support groups, where others find information and solace, are of little interest to her.

But Ms. Ghidotti, who lives most of the year in Columbus, Ohio, has found help from a Houston nurse practitioner who recommended a mouthwash for her mouth soreness — a common side effect of chemotherapy drugs — and prompts her to discuss some of the gastrointestinal problems she wouldn’t bother her busy oncologist with. She has never met the nurse, but reads and often responds to her message-board entries every day around 6:30 p.m.

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(Also appeared in Belleville [Ill.] News-Democrat, Napa [Calif.] Valley Register, Naples Daily News and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.)

Web Sites Provide Access To Mental-Health Counselors; Missing the Visual Cues

Instant messaging, favored by chatting teens and office gossips, is now a growing tool for therapists counseling people on everything from quitting smoking to sexual-abuse trauma.

Proponents say the text-based conversations are appealing because they’re fast and anonymous — users can log onto a number of online services and connect with therapists who know them only by screen names. But many in the mental-health community say the format is too impersonal for effective treatment and should only be an adjunct to face-to-face counseling.

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(This article also appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times, Arizona Republic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, St. Paul Pioneer Press and [Rochester, Minn.] Post-Bulletin.)