A pilot study examining whether restricting and resuming specific actions systematically changes symptoms of depression and anxiety. A series of N-of-1 trials.

Anxiety and depressive disorders are highly prevalent and a leading cause of disability. Understanding how symptoms develop could lead to new preventive and clinical interventions. This pilot study examined whether systematically restricting specific behaviours (target actions) associated with good psychological health would increase psychological symptoms in healthy participants, and whether resuming those actions would reduce symptoms to baseline levels.

Prevalence and Predictors of Long COVID in Patients Accessing a National Digital Mental Health Service.

MindSpot is a national mental health service that provides assessments and treatment to Australian adults online or via telephone. Since the start of 2020, questions related to the mental health impacts of COVID-19 have been routinely administered. The objective of the current study is to report the prevalence and predictors of self-reported "long COVID" in patients completing an assessment at the MindSpot Clinic between 5 September 2022 and 7 May 2023 ( = 17,909).

Evaluation of a therapist-guided virtual psychological pain management program when provided as routine care: a prospective pragmatic cohort study.

Introduction: Numerous randomized controlled trials have evaluated the outcomes of internet-delivered psychological pain management programs (PMPs) as a way of increasing access to care for people with chronic pain. However, there are few reports of the effectiveness of these PMPs when provided as part of routine care.

Methods: The present study sought to report the clinical and demographic characteristics of users (n = 1367) and examine the effectiveness of an established internet-delivered psychological PMP program in improving several pain-related outcomes, when offered at a national digital mental health service over a 5-year period.

An open trial of the Things You Do Questionnaire: Changes in daily actions during internet-delivered treatment for depressive and anxiety symptoms.

Many psychological treatments aim to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety by modifying maladaptive patterns of cognitions, behavior, and other actions. The Things You Do Questionnaire (TYDQ) was developed to measure the frequency of actions that are associated with psychological health in a reliable and valid manner. The present study examined treatment-related change in the frequency of actions measured by the TYDQ.

Effectiveness of internet delivered cognitive behaviour therapy provided as routine care for people in the depressed phase of bipolar disorder treated with Lithium.

There is little research reporting the outcome of internet delivered cognitive behaviour therapy, (iCBT), which helps patients identify and modify unhelpful cognitions and behaviours, for the depressed phase of bipolar disorder as part of routine care. Demographic information, baseline scores and treatment outcomes were examined for patients of MindSpot Clinic, a national iCBT service who reported taking Lithium and their clinic records confirmed the diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Outcomes were completion rates, patient satisfaction and changes in measures of psychological distress, depression and anxiety measured by the Kessler-10 item (K-10), Patient Health Questionnaire 9 Item (PHQ-9), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale 7 Item (GAD-7), compared to clinic benchmarks.

Predictors of functional impairment at assessment and functional improvement after treatment at a national digital mental health service.

Mental disorders are associated with impairment to daily functioning, which affects both the individual and society. Despite this, most research on treatment outcome only report symptom change. Self-reported days out of role (DOR) is a simple measure of functional impairment used in many population studies.

Measures of Daily Activities Associated With Mental Health (Things You Do Questionnaire): Development of a Preliminary Psychometric Study and Replication Study.

Background: A large body of research has identified modifiable cognitions and behaviors (actions) associated with psychological health. However, little is known regarding the actions that are most strongly associated with psychological health or the frequency with which they should be performed.

Objective: This paper described 2 studies that used survey methodology to create the Things You Do Questionnaire (TYDQ), which aims to identify and rank actions (items) and domains of actions (factors) most strongly associated with psychological health.

Antidepressant medication use by patients accessing a national digital mental health service.

Background: Digital mental health services (DMHSs) provide psychological treatments via the internet or phone and are increasingly being offered as part of routine care. This study describes antidepressant (AD) medication use and treatment outcomes in a large sample of routine care patients accessing a DMHS.

Methods: Patients completing an assessment with an Australia-wide DMHS (MindSpot Clinic) from 1st January to 31st December 2020 (n = 17,409) were asked about psychotropic medication use.

A Comparison of Self-Referral and Referral via Primary Care Providers, through Two Similar Digital Mental Health Services in Western Australia.

Digital mental health services (DMHSs) deliver mental health information, assessment, and treatment, via the internet, telephone, or other digital channels. The current study compares two DMHSs operating in Western Australia (WA)-The Practitioner Online Referral System (PORTS) and MindSpot. Both provide telephone and online psychological services at no cost to patients or referrers.

Internet-delivered cognitive-behaviour therapy (ICBT) for obsessive-compulsive disorder when delivered as routine clinical care: A phase IV clinical trial.

Cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but many patients experience difficulty accessing this treatment. Internet-delivered CBT (ICBT) enhances access to CBT for individuals with OCD and has been shown to be efficacious in Phase I, II, and III clinical trials. However, there are fewer studies investigating ICBT for OCD in Phase IV clinical trials, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the intervention when provided as part of routine care.

A Review and Clinical Practice Guideline for Health Professionals Working With Indigenous and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Populations During COVID-19.

As the rates of infection and mortality from COVID-19 have been higher in minority groups, the communication of health information in a way that is understood and accepted is of particular importance. To provide health professionals with a clinical practice guideline for clear and culturally sensitive communication of health information about COVID-19 to people of Indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. The authors conducted a review of the literature on health communication, and the guidelines were developed with particular reference to the SPIKES protocol of "breaking bad news" in oncology and the use of the DSM-5 Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI).

Rapid Report 3: Mental health symptoms, characteristics, and regional variation, for users of an Australian digital mental health service during the first 8 months of COVID-19.

Background: The MindSpot Clinic provides services to Australians with anxiety and depression. Routine data collection means that MindSpot has been able to monitor trends in mental health symptoms and service use prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and these have been reported in two earlier studies. This third study describes user characteristics and volumes in the first 8 months of COVID-19, including a comparison between users from states and territories with significantly different COVID-19 infection rates.

Predictors, Outcomes, and Statistical Solutions of Missing Cases in Web-Based Psychotherapy: Methodological Replication and Elaboration Study.

Background: Missing cases present a challenge to our ability to evaluate the effects of web-based psychotherapy trials. As missing cases are often lost to follow-up, less is known about their characteristics, their likely clinical outcomes, or the likely effect of the treatment being trialed.

Objective: The aim of this study is to explore the characteristics of missing cases, their likely treatment outcomes, and the ability of different statistical models to approximate missing posttreatment data.

Rapid report 2: Symptoms of anxiety and depression during the first 12 weeks of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Australia.

Background: The MindSpot Clinic, funded by the Australian Government, is a national digital mental health service (DMHS) providing services to people experiencing anxiety and depression. We recently reported increased service use in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic (19 March to 15 April 2020), and a small increase in anxiety symptoms. This follow-up paper examines trends in service use and symptoms, over 12 weeks from 19 March to 10 June 2020.

User characteristics and outcomes from a national digital mental health service: an observational study of registrants of the Australian MindSpot Clinic.

Background: Interest is growing in digital and telehealth delivery of mental health services, but data are scarce on outcomes in routine care. The federally funded Australian MindSpot Clinic provides online and telephone psychological assessment and treatment services to Australian adults. We aimed to summarise demographic characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients registered with MindSpot over the first 7 years of clinic operation.

Rapid report: Early demand, profiles and concerns of mental health users during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Background: Trends in contact with a high volume national digital mental health service (DMHS), the MindSpot Clinic, provide a unique opportunity to assess the mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Three methods were used to assess changes in responses to COVID-19. First, website visits and call centre traffic were compared across two time periods: the "comparison period" (1 to 28 September 2019), and during the early weeks of the "COVID-19 pandemic" (19 March to 15 April 2020).

A comparison of the characteristics and treatment outcomes of migrant and Australian-born users of a national digital mental health service.

Background: To explore the characteristics and compare clinical outcomes of non-Australian born (migrant) and Australian-born users of an Australian national digital mental health service.

Methods: The characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients who completed online treatment at the MindSpot Clinic between January 2014 and December 2016 and reported a country of birth other than Australia were compared to Australian-born users. Data about the main language spoken at home were used to create distinct groups.

Evaluation of The Practitioner Online Referral and Treatment Service (PORTS): the first 18 months of a state-wide digital service for adults with anxiety, depression, or substance use problems.

The Practitioner Online Referral and Treatment Service (PORTS) is a new digital mental health service (DMHS) providing assessment, treatment, and consultation across Western Australia, for adults with anxiety, depression, or substance use problems, and experiencing financial hardship or geographical disadvantage. From July 2017 to December 2018, a total of 2,527 individuals were referred to PORTS. Of these, 150 (6%) did not give consent for their results to be analysed.

Meta-analysis of the efficacy and acceptability of cognitive-behavioural therapy for Arab adult populations experiencing anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.

A meta-analysis of the literature of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) with Arab adult populations experiencing anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was conducted. Nine studies (n = 536) met the eligibility criteria. Three of the nine studies (33%) were randomised control trials using waitlist control groups.

Acceptability of Mental Health Services for Anxiety and Depression in an Arab Sample.

The aim of this paper was to examine the acceptability and use of mental health services in an Arab sample. An Internet survey was made available to Arab people worldwide and enquired about the acceptability of traditional face-to-face and internet-delivered mental health services. Five hundred and three participants were recruited via media and Facebook promotions.

Treating anxiety and depression in young adults: A randomised controlled trial comparing clinician-guided versus self-guided Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy.

Background: Internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy may increase access by young adults to evidence-based treatments for anxiety and depression.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of an Internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy intervention designed for adults aged 18-24 years, when delivered in clinician-guided versus self-guided formats.

Design: The intervention, the Mood Mechanic Course, is a transdiagnostic treatment that simultaneously targets symptoms of anxiety and depression using cognitive and behavioural skills.

Building a bridge: A case report on communicating mental-health diagnoses to patients of a culturally and linguistically diverse background.

Objective: This paper is based on a case report, describing a protocol to help practitioners communicate mental-health diagnosis to patients from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. The protocol was presented by integrating the DSM-5 Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) and the SPIKES protocol for communicating the diagnosis of cancer, yielding a modified CFI-SPIKES protocol (i.e.