Results from 10 years of experience from the MindSpot Clinic, based at Macquarie University Health, show online treatment produced sustained reductions of more than 50 per cent in symptoms of both anxiety and depression across a cohort of more than 50,000 Australian men and women.
Published in the latest issue of Australasian Psychiatry, the findings suggest online treatment could help address the huge unmet community need for evidence-based psychological care exacerbated by severe mental health workforce shortages, says Professor Nick Titov AM, Executive Director of MindSpot.
Established and staffed by mental health professionals, MindSpot provides structured treatment based on principles of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), in which patients learn more about attitudes, beliefs and behaviours that cause their psychological symptoms.
Internet-based CBT (iCBT) helps patients acquire and practise skills to become emotionally resilient, reinforcing that they can help themselves. Importantly, iCBT delivered by MindSpot was found to work just as well for people who were also taking antidepressant drugs, in line with emerging evidence that CBT and drug treatment target different pathways in the brain.
Patient experience also confirmed the value of what MindSpot’s researchers call 'The Big 5' behaviours associated with good mood and recovery from depression: rational thinking, meaningful activity, having goals and plans, healthy routines and regular social contact.
Over 12 years of operation, MindSpot has provided mental health assessments for more than 250,000 Australians and has enrolled more than 50,000 of those participants in treatment courses.
All MindSpot services are free and funded by the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care.
“Being able to provide effective treatment for large numbers of patients with anxiety and depression via the internet is a great advance in mental health care,” says Professor Titov.
“Our experience also raises the tantalising prospect of public health interventions that could enhance the mental wellbeing and resilience of the entire population.”
