MoodGym and Blue Pages: An Internet Depression Intervention

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

MoodGYM is an interactive website that offers cognitive behavioral therapy and Blue Pages is a psycho-education website that offers information about depression in general.

Depression interventions using the Internet are both primary and a secondary interventions. One intervention, Blues Pages, provides depression literacy, which is valuable for both people already struggling with depression and for the general public. Depression awareness is valuable for everyone because it can help a mentally healthy person recognize signs of depression and prevent it from developing; help friends and family of a depressed person cope; and facilitate understanding. The other intervention, MoodGYM, seeks to treat people struggling with depression or depressive symptoms. It is a secondary intervention because it tries to rehabilitate patients who have symptoms of depression and prevent their symptoms from progressing further.

Goal / Mission

The MoodGYM and Blue Pages websites aim to alleviate depression symptoms and increase understanding of depression using the Internet.

Results / Accomplishments

The internet depression interventions MoodGYM and Blue Pages were evaluated by a randomized controlled trial to confirm if depression literacy is just as effective as cognitive behavioral therapy in reducing the symptoms of depression. Out of 525 individuals recruited for this study, 83% (435) returned a post-intervention questionnaire while 79% (414) completed the intervention. Interviewers contacted participants by phone on a weekly basis to facilitate use of the websites (MoodGYM and Blue Pages). Participants were also issued written guidelines on how to navigate the MoodGYM and Blue Pages websites. A control group of participants were phoned weekly by interviewers to discuss their lifestyles, along with environmental factors that could affect their symptoms for depression. The key findings from this study proved that both Blue Pages and MoodGYM reduced symptoms of depression. MoodGYM significantly improved dysfunctional thinking compared to the control group and increased literacy in cognitive behavioral therapy. Knowledge of medical, psychological, and life style factors regarding depression improved with use of Blue Pages (p-value< 0.05). These findings indicate that interventions that use the Internet to deliver information regarding cognitive behavior therapy and increase depression literacy are effective in reducing symptoms of depression.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
The Centre for Mental Health Research, The Australian National University
Primary Contact
Australian Foundation for Mental Health Research
Building 63
The Australian National University
Canberra, ACT 0200
Australia
+61 2 6125 5111
moodgym@anu.edu.au
http://cmhr.anu.edu.au/
Topics
Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders
Organization(s)
The Centre for Mental Health Research, The Australian National University
Source
Australian Department of Health and Aging Centre for Mental Health Research at the Australian National University
Date of publication
2004
Date of implementation
2002
Geographic Type
Urban
Location
Australia
For more details
http://cdc.thehcn.net/promisepractice/index/view?p...
Target Audience
Adults
Submitted By
Emily Abbood, Brooke Bohling, Rachel Pedowitz - UC Berkeley School of Public Health

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An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.