I went to a conference a couple of weeks ago and attended a seminar on mental health first aid. The presenter of this seminar was a man named Mark Charleston who worked as a psychologist before becoming a parish minister and then taking a job at Sydney Anglican head office. Mark referred us to the website www.MoodGYM.anu.edu.au, which can help people facing mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.
A lot of men and women struggle with depression in our society and in our congregations. One in five Australians experience depression (that is, serious depression, which is more than just a low mood) at some point in their lives and many struggle with it for long periods, so it is a very common condition.
The MoodGYM website is a FREE interactive online program that takes the person through a set of exercises and quizzes offering helpful information and training along the way. Once you have registered as a user, you begin an online workbook that takes you through various modules. You can go at your own pace, picking up each time where you logged out the last time.
MoodGYM is basically an application of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, which is a well established body of theory that involves training people to change the way they think. As the website summarises it, in response to events “what you think is what you feel”. Often people have slipped into habitual patterns of thought that are not helpful or realistic, which in turn affect their feelings adversely. MoodGYM’s exercises and information are aimed at changing these negative patterns of thinking.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is generally accepted as an effective treatment of mild to moderate depression in adults and teenagers. More serious mental health issues require far more complex treatment, and I would not pretend that this website can “cure” a person with depression or anxiety, but it may help. People who are not currently struggling with depression may also find it helpful in preventing depression and giving an insight into depression and anxiety disorders.
To check it out, I have registered and begun the program myself. I can say that there is much there to inform and help. It is not a Christian program, so I found as a Christian that when the program encouraged belief in self as a basis for optimism, I needed to replace it with belief in God in my mind. However, that being said, I believe that the basic thrust of correcting negative patterns of thinking need not undermine Christian belief.
According to Mark Charleston, MoodGYM would be endorsed by all good psychologists as applying principles that are generally accepted these days. It was developed by the Australian National University and has been made freely available by them. It is also endorsed by BeyondBlue, which is the national depression initiative.
Given that depression is a very real issue for lots of people , I hope that we will feel free to talk about the issue and encourage one another. This website could be a great help to us.
Steve
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