Enhanced Treatment For Social Phobia Through The Incorporation Of Attentional Re-training.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$465,162.00
Summary
Social phobia is a serious difficulty that can cause tremendous interference in an individual's life. Social phobia can interfere with an individual's social and romantic life, work and study aspirations, and even increase medical and other psychological problems. Psychological programs to help individuals manage their anxiety have been developed and shown to lead to relatively strong positive outcomes. Recent theoretical understanding has suggested that one maintaining factor in social phobia m ....Social phobia is a serious difficulty that can cause tremendous interference in an individual's life. Social phobia can interfere with an individual's social and romantic life, work and study aspirations, and even increase medical and other psychological problems. Psychological programs to help individuals manage their anxiety have been developed and shown to lead to relatively strong positive outcomes. Recent theoretical understanding has suggested that one maintaining factor in social phobia may be these people's tendency to focus onto negative information. In some exciting developments, several researchers have shown that simply training people with social phobia to focus their attention away from negative information, with no other treatment components, can produce a marked change in their fears. Therefore it makes sense that incorporating these methods into current standard treatment packages, may increase their effectiveness. The current study aims to compare the current best practice treatment package for social phobia with a combination of this package plus the recent attention re-training methods. It is expected that incorporating attention re-training into standard treatment with significantly improve its effects.Read moreRead less
Evidence-based Mental Health Planning: Translating Evidence Into Policy And Services
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,442,370.00
Summary
The CRE will design a better mental health system for Australia. This service system will include the full range of prevention and treatment interventions using the best available scientific evidence. It will also describe how to ensure that the service system is implemented, by incorporating it into government policy. The work will be carried out across 5 of the best research centres in Australia with expertise in clinical medicine, epidemiology, service planning and implementation science.
Improving Online Mental Health Programs: Tailored Assessment Meets Tailored Therapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$478,065.00
Summary
The proposed research will develop a personalised mental health program designed to address multiple mental health problems: major depression, anxiety disorders and substance use disorders, and suicidality. The program will increase efficiency and user engagement by tailoring content based on individual needs, context and preferences. Ongoing monitoring using new methods of assessment will allow a responsive and flexible approach to care.
Self-help For Depressive Symptoms: Finding Messages Suitable For Population-wide Promotion
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$161,807.00
Summary
Members of the community often use self-help methods to reduce symptoms of depression. In some cases, these may be effective, but in others they may do more harm than good (e.g. self-medication with nicotine or alcohol). The project aims to find out which self-help methods are most likely to be helpful and are easy for the community to use. These methods can then be promoted in educational campaigns to improve how people cope with symptoms of depression. If people can take action to reduce milde ....Members of the community often use self-help methods to reduce symptoms of depression. In some cases, these may be effective, but in others they may do more harm than good (e.g. self-medication with nicotine or alcohol). The project aims to find out which self-help methods are most likely to be helpful and are easy for the community to use. These methods can then be promoted in educational campaigns to improve how people cope with symptoms of depression. If people can take action to reduce milder levels of depression, this may prevent them from progressing to develop a clinical disorder that needs professional treatment.Read moreRead less
Molecular And Cellular Characterisation Of Schizophrenia Associated Dysfunction In MicroRNA Biogenesis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$496,205.00
Summary
We have identified substantial changes in the biogenesis of microRNA in schizophrenia. These small non-coding molecules derived from junk DNA, play a significant role in genetic regulation, with each one capable of silencing hundreds of target genes. This has major implications for schizophrenia, which is known to involve substantial changes in gene activity. The project will identify the molecular basis of this alteration in gene silencing, and its biological implications for schizophrenia.
Technology-enabled And Consumer-informed Approaches To Improving Mental Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$766,322.00
Summary
Mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in Australia, the majority of Australians with a mental illness do not seek professional help and people with a severe mental illness live 25 years less than others in the community. This research aims to improve the quality of life of those with a mental illness, through an innovative research program that investigates new technology based models of mental health service and delivery and involves people with mental illness as part of the rese ....Mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in Australia, the majority of Australians with a mental illness do not seek professional help and people with a severe mental illness live 25 years less than others in the community. This research aims to improve the quality of life of those with a mental illness, through an innovative research program that investigates new technology based models of mental health service and delivery and involves people with mental illness as part of the research team.Read moreRead less
Empowering The Community To Take Action On Prevention And Early Intervention For Mental Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$756,030.00
Summary
The vision of this application is to make Australia the world leader in research which empowers the community to take action for prevention and early intervention with mental disorders.
A Randomised Stepped Wedge Trial Of The Scaling Up Of A Community Based Alcohol Education Program In Rural Sri Lankan Villages And Its Effects On Alcohol Use, And Associated Harms, Depression And Social Capital.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$825,364.00
Summary
Alcohol use is major problem in much of rural Asia. In addition to direct effects on health it is major contributor to suicide, domestic violence and poverty. Much of the alcohol consumed is illicit and so consumption is not influenced by regulation or taxation. This is a trial of a community intervention in rural Sri Lanka to reduce alcohol use and alcohol related disorders that uses participatory drama in conjunction with previously trialed educational materials.
Genetic And Environmental Contributions To The Life Course Of The Common Mental Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,529,567.00
Summary
The common mental disorders (anxiety, depression, substance use) constitute a major disease burden and cost on the health system. Little is known about their causes and patterns of occurrence over the life span. This study follows a sample of 4000 persons from birth to 30 years of age to determine the environmental and genetic factors that lead to the onset and recurrence of the common mental disorders. It will provide important information to influence the treatment and prevention of these diso ....The common mental disorders (anxiety, depression, substance use) constitute a major disease burden and cost on the health system. Little is known about their causes and patterns of occurrence over the life span. This study follows a sample of 4000 persons from birth to 30 years of age to determine the environmental and genetic factors that lead to the onset and recurrence of the common mental disorders. It will provide important information to influence the treatment and prevention of these disorders.Read moreRead less