Blues Begone

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Blues Begone

• A New Approach to the Treatment of Depression and
  Anxiety
• Maine 2006
• Dr David Purves
• London Metropolitan University
• Self Help Solutions Inc.

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Overview

• There is a need to develop cost effective and
  accessible treatments for common mental health
  problems
• Blues Begone is a new computer-based,
  interactive, stand-alone treatment for depression
  and anxiety
• Active Self Help may dramatically increase mental
  health treatment uptake

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The Layard Report (2006)

• Choice of psychological therapy should be
  available to all people suffering from
  depression, chronic anxiety and schizophrenia

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Lack of services 1

• There are more mentally ill people on incapacity
  benefits than the total number of unemployed
  people on benefit.
• One in six people suffer from depression or
  chronic anxiety, which affects one in three
  families.

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Lack of services 2

• Only a quarter of those who are ill are receiving
  any treatment in most cases medication.
• Modern evidence-based psychological therapy is as
  effective as medication and is preferred by the
  majority of patients.

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Lack of services 3

• In most areas, waiting lists are over nine
  months, if therapy is available at all.
• A course of therapy costs 1280 and pays for
  itself in money saved on incapacity benefits and
  lost tax receipts.

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Treatment for Anxiety and Depression

• National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE)
  Recommend Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) for
  depression and anxiety and estimate average
  treatment duration as
• Mild and moderate depression
• 5 to 7 hours
• Moderate to severe depression
• 14 to 18 hours
• Anxiety
• 7 to 14 hours

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Obstacles

• There are too few appropriately trained
  therapists
• Patients have to wait a long time to be seen
• Face to face treatment is expensive
• Pharmacotherapy is expensive

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Computerized Cognitive Behavior Therapy
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Computer vs Human Therapist

• Computer aided and computer delivered CBT are as
  effective as a face to face therapy

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Bibliotherapy

• Self help books are often seen to be as effective
  as face to face therapy

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Three kinds of help

• Pharmacotherapy
• Psychological therapy
• Self help

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A fourth type of help

• Active Self Help
• releases the self healing capacity of the
  individual through instruction, guidance and
  feedback
• Leading to the development of Blues Begone
• a computer-based, interactive, stand-alone
  program of Active Self Help

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What is Blues Begone?

• 5 years in development
• Based on CBT principles
• Completely confidential
• A complete program of Active Self Help that
  sustains the user long enough to create personal
  change

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Components of Blues Begone

• Initial computer assessment, creates an
  individual Roadmap to Recovery
• 30 sessions of CBT (approx 30 minutes duration)
  designed to be used over 6 weeks
• Gives information in an easily understood format
• Uses animated heads, cartoons, animations, with
  numerous tasks and activities that maintain
  engagement and motivation
• Computer re-assessment every 5 episodes

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Interactive and engaging

• More than 15 hours of Active Self Help
• 305 individual elements
• Personalised interactive style
• 20 interactive tasks
• Automatic assessment and weekly check up

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What makes BBG effective?

• Virtual therapeutic relationship
• Focused solution based approach
• Easy to understand
• High psycho-educational component
• Does not seek to restructure personality
• Reengages resources and minimizes perceived
  failings

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What makes BBG effective? 2

• Challenges maladaptive thoughts, assumptions and
  beliefs
• Restructures outdated behavioral patterns
• Activates existing and new coping strategies

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The Purves Depression Questionnaire (PDQ)
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An alternative to face to face therapy

• Blues Begone offers an alternative to costly
  face to face therapy
• Requires no institutional resources
• No on-site computer
• No additional human help
• No hidden costs

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Ongoing qualitative research

• Characteristics of users
• down but not out, not yet demoralized
• Positive feedback from users
• Form virtual relationship
• Stimulating
• Creates shape from confusion

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Depression and relapse

• Depression is often recurrent
• Up to 50 of patients recovered from their first
  episode will have another
• Pharmacological treatments confer no advantage
  once completed
• Cognitive Therapy does confer an advantage that
  protects against relapse (20-36 relapse compared
  to 60-80) and prolongs the time between episodes

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BBG Relapse prevention

• Blues Begone uniquely offers continuous
  treatment even after 30 sessions are finished
• Relapse prevention mode keeps the user engaged
  with CBT training and concepts
• Blues Begone becomes a personalised
  psychological helper

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The future

• Incorporation of computers into the health care
  system offers many promises
• Extend the availability of treatments
• Greater data collection from each keystroke to a
  complex discipline of psychoinformatics

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Demonstration Further Information

• Monday, Longfellow, 7.30pm
• Special conference price 75
• Email sales_at_bluesbegone.com and mention Maine
  Benzo
• Visit us at
• www.bluesbegone.com

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Blues Begone

• A stand alone cost effective treatment option for
  mild to moderate depression and anxiety