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New Australian research is challenging the way we treat depression, with findings that online lifestyle therapy treatment is just as effective as online psychology.
Dr Mark Morgan, Head of Medical Doctorate at Bond University, said 40 researchers had proven remotely-delivered, online lifestyle therapy to reduce depression was as clinically successful and cost-effective as psychotherapy.
The team, led by Professor Adrienne O‘Neil of Deakin University, believe the findings will provide a boon for the mental health of people living in rural and regional Australia where the availability and cost of psychologists puts up significant barriers.
Dr Morgan said: “What we showed was that our online dietitians and exercise physiologists helped recovery for participants to the same extent, or better, as online psychologists."
Of the 184 participants, those who received treatment from dietitians and exercise physiologists saw a 42 percent improvement in depression symptoms, while those treated by psychologists experienced a 37 percent improvement. In comparison, the general population reported an 11 percent improvement in depression symptoms over the same eight-week period.
Dr Morgan said every participant was instructed in nutrition, physical activity, goal-setting, homework, mindfulness activity, thinking traps, reflection and progress, coping ahead, troubleshooting, thoughts versus feelings and fun activities.
He said the trial’s lifestyle program was co-developed and co-delivered by dietitians and exercise physiologists who were accredited by the Dietitians Australia or Exercise and Sport Science Australia.
The psychotherapy program used a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) approach adapted from the manualised, group-based Mood Management Course.
Dr Morgan said the results could provide a new treatment option for people with low-grade depression, especially where psychological services are unavailable, inaccessible - for instance, in areas outside metropolitan settings where social disadvantage is more prevalent - or not preferred.
“These findings are promising as a potential new treatment option to address the lack of available services for individuals whose mental health concerns are not sufficiently acute or complex for tertiary care," he said.
“We demonstrated remotely-delivered, online lifestyle therapy that focuses on nutrition and physical activity was as good as psychological care that uses a CBT approach, with respect to mental health and cost outcomes.”
Dr Morgan said short-term demand for treatment could be covered by dietitians and exercise physiologists to alleviate the current burden on mental health care services.
A full-powered trial is planned and participants with moderate to severe depression or bipolar disorder are being recruited to test the interventions.