Dr Lou Farrer. Photo by Martyn Pearce.
A new study from The Australian National University shows that online therapy programs can play a major and long-lasting role in treating depression. Lou Farrer, from the ANU Centre for Mental Health Research (CMHR), trialled the effectiveness of online programs MoodGYM and BluePages when used in conjunction with telephone counselling services provided by Lifeline. Farrer said there was an immediate drop in symptoms of depression among callers to Lifeline who used the two programs. "We worked with Lifeline centres in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. Lifeline counsellors in these centres identified callers who seemed to be experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety," said Farrer. "We then split these callers up into groups. Some were asked to complete MoodGYM and BluePages on their own; others were given these programs as well as weekly phone calls to see how they were progressing.
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