Research so far on this course ...

We have conducted > 2 trials of this course

More than 200 participants have enrolled in this course

We have published > 2 studies evaluating this course

Mood Mechanic

Background

The Mood Mechanic Course is a free online and internet-delivered treatment program designed for young Australian adults aged 18 to 24. It aims to teach practical skills for managing symptoms of stress, anxiety, worry, low mood and depression.

We developed The Mood Mechanic Course because many young adults have difficulties with stress, anxiety, worry, low mood and depression. But, many people never access or seek treatment.

The Mood Mechanic Course was developed based on our experience developing other courses for adults with anxiety and depression. However, we have modified it to be relevant and address the kinds of difficulties young adults often experience alongside anxiety and depression.

To learn more about symptoms of low mood and depression, please click here.

To learn more about stress and anxiety, please click here.

Who is the course suitable for?

The course is suitable for:

Adults aged 18 to 24..
With symptoms of stress, anxiety, low mood and depression.
With depression, social anxiety, panic attacks and generalised worry.
Who want to learn information and skills to improve the quality of their lives and emotional wellbeing.
Who have at least 4 hours per week to spend working on the Course and practicing the skills taught during the Course.

Unfortunately, we cannot include people who are currently suicidal, do not have access to the Internet. We also strongly recommend people discuss their participation in this course with their GP and other doctors.

What does the course involve?

The course involves:

5 online lessons that provide information and teach practical self-management skills.
Worksheets to help understand and practice those skills.
Lots of Additional Resources and Case Stories and examples from others.
Brief weekly contact with a clinician via email and telephone (not available in every course).

The course aims to provide the information and skills that you would normally receive from a Clinical Psychologist, if you attend a specialist treatment facility. However, because many people cannot access these facilities, we developed this internet-delivered course. Our goal was to make it as helpful as possible and to make it freely and widely available.

The Mood Mechanic Couse has been carefully designed to work with both regular clinician support as well as in self-guided formats.

What have we found so far?

We have now had a lot of people complete this course. Participants are reporting improvements in:

Stress and generalised anxiety
Low mood and depression
Panic and panic attacks
Social anxiety and fears

Although the Course is hard work, more than 90% of participants are also reporting the course is worth their time and that they'd recommend it to others.

Some of the key papers we have published on this course are:

Staples LG, Dear BF, Johnson B, Fogliati VF, Gandy M, Fogliati R, Nielssen O, Titov N. (2019). Internet-delivered treatment for young adults with anxiety and depression: Evaluation of the Mood Mechanic Course in routine clinical care and comparison with research trial outcomes. Journal of Affective Disorders, 256, 103 – 109.
Dear BF, Fogliati VJ, Fogliati R, Johnson B, Boyle O, Karin E, Gandy M, Kayrouz R, Staples LG, Titov N. (2018). Treating anxiety and depression in young adults: A randomised controlled trial comparing clinician-guided versus self-guided internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 52, 668 – 679.
Johnston L, Dear BF, Gandy M, Fogliati V, Kayrouz R, Sheehan J, Rapee R, Titov N. (2014). Exploring the efficacy and acceptability of internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy for young adults with anxiety and depression: An open trial. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 48, 819-827.

What is the current trial or study looking at?

Every time we offer a course we offer it as a part of a trial or study. This means that participants are helping us to answer an important research question while they participate in our courses.

We are not currently planning any research using the Mood Mechanic Course.

When is the next course being offered?

We are not currently planning any trials of the Mood Mechanic Course. If you are interested in participating, please click on the 'register now' button below. We will then email you as soon as the course becomes available.

At the moment, we are commending people consider participating in our standard Wellbeing Course, here. Or, if they are experiencing a chronic health condition, our Chronic Conditions Course, here.