Mental Health

Boost Your Mental Health with Moodgym at Your Convenience.

I introduce an established online self-help program to prevent and manage symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Based on my experience and observations, I firmly believe that digital therapeutics will revolutionize the healthcare industry by providing patients with convenient, accessible, cost-effective, and evidence-based treatments if they are designed and delivered correctly.

Recently I posted an article about Digital Therapeutics and Virtual Reality Therapies. In that article, I provided an overview of tools and processes for these two growing areas to support patients who cannot afford face-to-face consultations.

Even though digital therapeutics is an important and emerging health topic, the story had hardly any views from new readers, possibly due to the restrictive nature of the platform perceiving the risks of new ideas and tools.

However, I will continue to inform my current readers and hope that new readers might find these valuable stories serendipitously one day.

As promised in the introductory post, I will introduce some popular digital therapeutics and virtual reality therapies.

In this post, I will introduce Moodgym, an established and popular program funded by the Australian government that can be accessed online globally.

For those who missed the previous article, I’d like to mention what digital therapeutics means briefly.

What do digital therapeutics mean?

Digital therapeutics refers to healthcare interventions using digital technologies, the Internet, and mobile apps to manage medical conditions remotely.

Unlike traditional management models, digital therapeutics rely on software and hardware to deliver therapeutic effects.

Digital therapeutics can be used independently or in combination with other treatments. The most significant benefit of digital therapeutics is that they can be quickly scaled and distributed to large numbers of patients cost-effectively.

Digital therapeutics are gaining acceptance from healthcare providers and regulators globally. They can revolutionize the healthcare industry by providing patients with practical, evidence-based treatments that are convenient, accessible, and cost-effective.

Some examples of digital therapeutics are helping patients quit smoking, boosting mood, controlling blood sugar or blood pressure, and managing chronic pain by providing devices at home and sending data to healthcare providers to monitor and manage.

An Overview of Moodgym

Moodgym is an innovative online self-help program designed to assist users in preventing and managing symptoms of depression and anxiety.

It is like an interactive and digital self-help book that teaches cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) skills. The program is available 24/7. So, online users can log in anytime to benefit from the Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (i-CBT) program.

The CBT skills instructed in Moodgym are recommended treatments for depression and anxiety disorders in the clinical practice guidelines published by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.

Moodgym was initially developed and evaluated over 15 years by researchers at the Australian National University.

The original authors of the content were Professor Helen Christensen and Professor Kathy Griffiths, who first scripted Moodgym in 2001.

Other contributors provided clinical, technical, and design expertise. The program has obtained significant feedback from users since then.

“ehubhealth” now delivers Moodgym. This company offers online self-help programs to improve mental health and well-being.

This company provides users with evidence-based information and skills training to prevent or manage the symptoms of common mental health problems.

In addition, it provides organizations with tools for their employees to reduce the costs associated with mental health issues in their workforce.

Moodgym was designed for people who want to prevent mental health problems or manage problems that are troubling but not incapacitating.

Terms and conditions require the users to be over 14 years old and at least 18 years if they are from the USA. However, the program content is generally suitable for users aged 16 years or older.

Moodgym is freely accessible to all Australians as the Australian Government Department of Health, and Aged Care funds it.

However, I couldn’t find information about users from other countries, whether they are charged, and how they are charged. I assume it is determined during the registration period.

When I registered, it did not ask me where I lived, but I assume the system detected my IP address from Australia.

What is the structure of Moodgym, and how does it work?

Moodgym is not explicitly designed for people with clinical levels of depression or anxiety. However, if users score above 2–3 on the Moodgym Depression Quiz, the program suggests contacting qualified healthcare professionals.

The site informs that some exercises might be counterproductive for those with strong emotions. Therefore, it can be helpful to have face-to-face appointments with qualified therapists for people having difficulties online.

Moodgym helps users identify their areas of vulnerability, such as perfectionism, need for approval, or sense of entitlement.

Users can then explore specific ways to deal with different vulnerabilities and practice with interactive exercises and diaries.

Moodgym follows the clinical practice guidelines from the 2020 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guidelines for mood disorders and guidelines for treating panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder.

More specifically, Moodgym provides training in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). It offers five interactive modules completed in order.

These include information, interactive exercises, workbooks to record thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and quizzes with personalized feedback.

I want to introduce the modules briefly to give you an idea of the program.

An Overview of the Moodgym Modules

The Moodgym program consists of five modules and a workbook. When you log in to your account, you will see the modules in the dashboard.

Module 1

The first module is about feelings. The focus is on why users feel the way they do. The module helps identify connections between thoughts and feelings, the emotional consequences of negative thoughts, and understand the acronym WUTIWUF (what you think is what you feel)

Module 2

The second module covers thoughts. The goal is to change the way users think to feel better. It covers types of dysfunctional thinking and how these might be contested. It also focuses on common problem areas such as authority, intimate relationships, and improving self-esteem.

Module 3

The third module is called unwarping. The purpose is to change warped thoughts, such as trying different ways to modify dysfunctional thinking and identifying personal vulnerabilities. In addition, it provides help with self-esteem through actively increasing positive events.

Module 4

The fourth module is called distressing. The goal is to understand what makes users upset. It focuses on identifying situations or events which might trigger stress or warped thoughts. It also provides downloadable relaxation methods and problem-solving exercises.

Module 5

The fifth module is called relationships. The focus is on break-ups and how users were raised by their parents. This module guides on how to cope with and grow from relationship break-ups. It also includes mum and dad issues to get patterns in their upbringing.

Workbook

In addition to these five modules, the program also has a workbook tool. It provides easy access to quizzes and diaries with retake quizzes, compares the results over time, and access exercises and journals from each module.

It also has a version for German speakers.

In addition, Moodgym has a sister program called e-couch. It offers information and self-help for common mental health problems like social anxiety.

Effectiveness of the Program

The site informs that user satisfaction with moodgym is high. In addition, evaluation studies indicate that moodgym is a viable option for those who cannot access face-to-face therapy or are waiting for traditional services.

Moodgym is extensively evaluated and has been subjected to randomized controlled trials (RCTs) by research groups worldwide.

These trials have consistently demonstrated the program’s efficacy in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Specifically, using two or more modules has been associated with significant symptom reduction, with these benefits persisting for up to 12 months.

Some studies have evaluated Moodgym in various settings, such as schools, universities, and online groups.

Studies also assessed it based on different age groups, such as adults and adolescents, and with various population groups, such as students, primary care patients, and community users.

Additionally, studies have assessed Moodgym’s effectiveness, both with and without guidance, in different countries worldwide.

A 2016 meta-analysis of 12 studies confirmed that “Moodgym effectively reduces depression and anxiety symptoms in adult populations, with evidence suggesting that it is also effective at reducing general psychological distress.”

The authors of the analysis concluded that “Moodgym is best placed as a population-level intervention that is likely to benefit a sizeable minority of its users.”

Moreover, some studies mentioned that Moodgym might be effective in reducing hazardous alcohol use, reducing suicide risk in high-risk populations, preventing mood and anxiety disorders, and improving the well-being and quality of life of users.

Summary and Conclusions

Digital therapeutics can be used independently or in combination with other treatments. They are gaining acceptance from healthcare providers and regulators globally.

I believe digital therapeutics will revolutionize the healthcare industry by providing patients with practical, evidence-based treatments that are convenient, accessible, and cost-effective.

Moodgym is an innovative and effective online self-help program that can teach cognitive behavior therapy skills to help prevent and manage symptoms of depression and anxiety.

While it is not designed for people with clinical levels of depression or anxiety, it looks like an excellent tool for people who want to prevent mental health problems or manage issues that are troubling but not incapacitating.

The program is recognized in clinical practice guidelines and has been developed and evaluated over 15 years by researchers at the Australian National University. You can learn more about Moodgym from the frequently asked question page, FAQ, and government case study.

If you or your loved ones need support for anxiety and depression, this tool might be helpful. In forthcoming stories, I will introduce other digital therapeutics for physical and mental health.

You might also check this excellent story titled how Digital Therapeutics Will Affect Physician Practices In The Future authored by medical Dr. ADAM TABRIZ whom I interviewed recently.

Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.

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