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.
Neural Changes Associated With Symptom Improvement In Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Following Exposure Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$223,855.00
Summary
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic disorder with enormous psychological, social and economic consequences that affects approximately 10-15% of Australians. Recent international research is focused on identifying mechanisms underlying effective treatments of PTSD, in an attempt to understand both the processes that maintain PTSD, and to help target more precise interventions to prevent chronic PTSD, a disabling condition that creates an enormous economic burden on health and compen ....Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic disorder with enormous psychological, social and economic consequences that affects approximately 10-15% of Australians. Recent international research is focused on identifying mechanisms underlying effective treatments of PTSD, in an attempt to understand both the processes that maintain PTSD, and to help target more precise interventions to prevent chronic PTSD, a disabling condition that creates an enormous economic burden on health and compensation systems. This project will be the first study to identify the neural mechanisms underlying effective exposure-based treatment of PTSD. Exposure-based treatments are the current treatments of choice for PTSD, with several studies showing them to be highly effective in treating PTSD. Yet, the mechanisms and agents of change underlying this effective treatment remain unknown. Exploring the neural networks associated with effective treatment and symptom change will help identify and elucidate the mechanisms underlying exposure treatment. This has critical clinical implications, enabling insight into biological mechanisms underlying PTSD, more precise identification of populations that are less responsive to standard exposure-based treatments, and eventually will lead to better targeted and more effective treatment of chronic PTSD.Read moreRead less
Using Broadcast Media And Internet To Increase Public Understanding And Participation In Randomized Controlled Trials
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$88,442.00
Summary
Around the world consumers use the media and search the internet for information regarding health and medical care. This research program aims to evaluate the validity and applicability of internet based randomized controlled trials compared to traditional methods of conducting randomized trials. The results will help determine the future direction of internet based trials, and will enhance public awareness of methods to assess the effectiveness of health care interventions.
Reducing Impulsive Behaviour In Repeat Violent Offenders Using A Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (Zoloft)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,337,659.00
Summary
Strong evidence points to a link between poor impulse control (impulsivity) and violent crime. Impulsivity has been shown to be associated with reduced levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin. In studies of impulsive individuals, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have reduced impulsive aggression but there has been no systematic study of the benefits of SSRIs for violent offenders at risk of reoffending. This research will investigate whether SSRIs can reduce repeat violent offend ....Strong evidence points to a link between poor impulse control (impulsivity) and violent crime. Impulsivity has been shown to be associated with reduced levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin. In studies of impulsive individuals, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have reduced impulsive aggression but there has been no systematic study of the benefits of SSRIs for violent offenders at risk of reoffending. This research will investigate whether SSRIs can reduce repeat violent offending.Read moreRead less
An Intervention Trial To Prevent Cognitive Impairment And Depression In Older Men
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$286,018.00
Summary
A gradual decline in the thinking processes, dementia and depression are major health issues for older people. There is already some evidence that deficiency in certain vitamins may be contributing to these problems. This project seeks to evaluate an inexpensive and simple vitamin supplement which may provide a highly cost-effective method of preventing cognitive decline, dementia and depression in older people. This research will also allow the evaluation of the role of certain biological and g ....A gradual decline in the thinking processes, dementia and depression are major health issues for older people. There is already some evidence that deficiency in certain vitamins may be contributing to these problems. This project seeks to evaluate an inexpensive and simple vitamin supplement which may provide a highly cost-effective method of preventing cognitive decline, dementia and depression in older people. This research will also allow the evaluation of the role of certain biological and genetic risk factors which may also impact on these problems. This project seeks to do a trial of these vitamins in older men who are at particular risk for these problems. The men in this project will be monitored by simple tests of their thinking and evaluating any symptoms of depression.Read moreRead less
Randomised Controlled Trials Of Laparoscopic Techniques For Antireflux Surgery
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$275,923.00
Summary
Gastro-oesophageal reflux is common, and over the last decade there has been an exponential rise in the usage of acid suppressing medication. Current trends suggest that the national cost of medical treatment of reflux will become unaffordable unless new management or preventative strategies can be developed. Presently, surgery is the only treatment which can cure reflux. Laparoscopic fundoplication has recently become an acceptable, low morbidity keyhole surgical treatment for this problem. How ....Gastro-oesophageal reflux is common, and over the last decade there has been an exponential rise in the usage of acid suppressing medication. Current trends suggest that the national cost of medical treatment of reflux will become unaffordable unless new management or preventative strategies can be developed. Presently, surgery is the only treatment which can cure reflux. Laparoscopic fundoplication has recently become an acceptable, low morbidity keyhole surgical treatment for this problem. However, research is essential to develop a procedure which optimizes the outcome for patients undergoing surgical management of reflux, and minimizes the risk of complications. This may provide a better alternative to long term management with acid suppressing medication, and could eventually achieve long term savings to the nation's health budget. Since 1994 research conducted at the Royal Adelaide Hospital has evaluated a range of different key hole operations aimed at improving the outcome for patients undergoing surgery for gastro-oesophageal reflux. Over 100 patients have been entered into each of the following clinical trials: total fundoplication with or without division of the short gastric vessels, total versus anterior partial fundoplication and posterior or anterior hiatal repair. Further trials will compare a lesser degree of anterior partial fundoplication with total fundoplication. A common research protocol has been developed and applied to all of these trials. This involves the use of double blind randomised methodology, with independent follow-up obtained by an independent investigator. These trials will determine the best surgical technique for the surgical correction of reflux, and this should lead to a more widely accepted surgical alternative to existing non-operative strategies for pathological reflux.Read moreRead less
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