Evaluation Of Internet-based, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy For The Treatment Of Anxiety Disorders In Adolescents
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$570,750.00
Summary
Anxiety disorders affect around 5-10% of adolescents and are associated with a range of adverse consequences if left untreated. The majority of young people with anxiety disorders do not seek nor receive treatment. This may be due partly to the perceived stigma of attending a mental health clinic and logistic problems of attending therapy. A challenge is to identify ways in which treatment can be made more accessible to adolescents in need, particularly those in rural and remote areas. Contrary ....Anxiety disorders affect around 5-10% of adolescents and are associated with a range of adverse consequences if left untreated. The majority of young people with anxiety disorders do not seek nor receive treatment. This may be due partly to the perceived stigma of attending a mental health clinic and logistic problems of attending therapy. A challenge is to identify ways in which treatment can be made more accessible to adolescents in need, particularly those in rural and remote areas. Contrary to original beliefs, evidence shows that the internet can be used to deliver effective psychological therapies for a range of mental health problems, including anxiety disorders. So far this research has focused on adults, but adolescents may be in a particularly strong position to benefit from these forms of therapy, being experienced users of internet resources. This research investigates the effectiveness of internet-based cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) in the treatment for anxiety disorders in adolescents. Recently we have piloted CBT for anxious children that combines clinic and internet therapy, with half the therapy sessions in the clinic and half over the internet. Pilot data show that clinic + internet therapy produced significant reductions in anxiety and is almost as effective full clinic-based therapy. The proposed research builds on our pilot work by evaluating the effectiveness of a more extensive internet-based therapy in which all sessions are completed using the internet and with an older age group. The research also examines the factors that predict which young people will respond most positively to the intervention so that the treatment can be matched to those most likely to benefit from it in the future. The aim is to develop an effective internet-based treatment for adolescents with anxiety disorders that is easily accessed and suitable for use in rural and remote populations, requiring minimal face-to-face therapist contact.Read moreRead less
Medically Assisted Fertility Treatment And Infant Outcomes: The Role Of IVF (in Vitro Fertilisation), Ovulation Induction And Subfertility
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$463,001.00
Summary
Medically assisted fertility treatment such as IVF and fertility medications account for the birth of at least one in 25 children born in Australia. While the health outcomes of these children are reassuring there is a lack of conclusive findings on the clinical role of IVF and non-IVF treatments and on their safety, particularly the newer forms of IVF. This research will fill this evidence gap, informing patients and clinicians on the safety and effectiveness of fertility treatments.
Accountable Fertility Treatment: An Evidenced-based Framework For The Provision Of Cost-effective, Patient-centred Fertility Treatment In Australia.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$423,312.00
Summary
One in six Australian couples experience infertility. This is likely to worsen with trends such as delayed childbearing and rising obesity. Despite the use of fertility treatments doubling in Australia over the last decade there has been a lack of considered analysis of the economic implications of Medicare funding of treatments, such as IVF. This research will develop a framework that will be used by policy makers to support cost-effective and patient-centred fertility treatment in Australia.
Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD+)-raising Agents For Improving Oocyte Quality
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$445,827.00
Summary
Many women cannot have children because of suboptimal egg quality, often due to aging. Currently, the only option is to use better quality eggs donated from another woman. This project will use pharmacological agents to promote recently discovered pathways in eggs central to determining quality. Importantly, we will investigate a simple and practical approach that can be used in clinics for augmenting these pathways to improve oocyte quality for the first time.
Improving Internet-delivered Psychological Therapies For Depression And Anxiety
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$437,034.00
Summary
Depression and anxiety affect 3 million Australians. While effective psychological treatments exist, even the best only help 50% recover, and relapse is common. My research aims to improve the treatment of adult depression and anxiety, through developing more effective, efficient and accessible internet-delivered psychological therapies and identifying the conditions that promote optimal long-term outcomes.
Transplantation of frozen ovarian tissue is being used by young patients at risk of losing ovarian function. This study aims to maximize the likelihood that patients who have ovarian tissue collected, frozen and returned will acheive the desired outcome of returning ovarian hormonal cyclicity, ovulation, or fertility.
WEB-BASED COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY FOR WOMEN WITH POSTNATAL DEPRESSION
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$713,714.00
Summary
Postnatal depression (PND) affects more than 1 in 10 women, with serious consequences for maternal mental health and infant development. This project will evaluate our newly developed Web-based psychological intervention for PND and compare it to traditional face-to-face psychological treatment. Poor uptake of traditional treatment relates to fear of stigma, access and expense. The potential public health impact of Web-based treatment is enormous given the 300,000 annual births in Australia.
Transdiagnostic Internet Therapy For Internalizing Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$687,348.00
Summary
Anxiety and depressive disorders account for 58% of the burden of mental disorders, or 7.5% of the burden of human disease. Internet treatments for the individual disorders are effective but require careful diagnosis. We intend to develop and prove the effectiveness of a transdiagnostic Internet treatment program that will be easily used by primary care clinicians. We will disseminate and evaluate the developed and proven program to general practitioners and psychologists.
A Randomised Controlled Trial Of Internet-based Therapy For Panic Disorder.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$202,575.00
Summary
Approximately 9.7% of the adult population have an anxiety disorder with one of the more common, panic disorder, often with agoraphobia, afflicting 2.4% of the community. Around 8% of patients consulting a GP also have panic disorder (PD). A further 10% of the community experience spontaneous panic, but do not have full PD (termed non-clinical panic). People with PD frequently experience clinical depression, about 15% abuse alcohol and non-prescription drugs and PD is associated with an increase ....Approximately 9.7% of the adult population have an anxiety disorder with one of the more common, panic disorder, often with agoraphobia, afflicting 2.4% of the community. Around 8% of patients consulting a GP also have panic disorder (PD). A further 10% of the community experience spontaneous panic, but do not have full PD (termed non-clinical panic). People with PD frequently experience clinical depression, about 15% abuse alcohol and non-prescription drugs and PD is associated with an increased risk of suicide. Over time people with PD appear to have an increased risk of heart problems. They also have substantial financial burdens through multiple attendances at doctors' rooms and through restricted employment opportunities. Only just over one in four people with an anxiety disorder consults a health professional for their problems, with most going to their GP. It has been estimated that less than 10% of these people seek the services of a mental health specialist such as a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist. Therefore because of blocks to do with access, cost or embarrassment, many people with mental health problems do not seek face-to-face specialised mental health treatment. People in rural and regional Australia are particularly disadvantaged by limited access to these specialists. We have developed an internet-based treatment program on panic and anxiety for people in the community, and particularly in regional Australia. Early evaluation of this program has found it is more effective than other types of therapist-assisted self-help treatment. The aim of this research project is to compare it to best-practice face-to-face psychological and pharmacological treatment for PD. If the effectiveness of our internet-based treatment is comparable to best-practice face-to-face treatment, its availability will assist the many Australians who suffer from debilitating panic but who are unable to access specialised mental health assistance.Read moreRead less
Exploring The Feasibility And Acceptability Of An Internet-delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Program For Depression Amongst Chinese Australians To Reducing Practical And Cultural Barriers To Mental Health Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$76,212.00
Summary
I am a psychologist interested in exploring the potential of using internet-based Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (iCBT) to deliver effective and culturally sensitive treatment to Chinese Australians with depression. My research involves developing and testing the efficacy of iCBT and examining the acceptability of iCBT to both Chinese Australians and their general practitioners. iCBT could be utilised as another strategy for providing services to Chinese Australians and other immigrant groups.