USING MOBILE DEVICES AS A MEANS FOR SELF TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN YOUNG PEOPLE BITDM HONOURS SCOTT CABOT SUPERVISOR BRETT WILKINSON

OVERVIEW Depression and Anxiety What they are & why they are important Serious games Developing an application with a suite of mini games that help treat depression and anxiety Outcomes

WHY RESEARCH DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY? According to Youth Beyond Blue [1] 1 in 16 young Australians is currently experiencing depression. 1 in 6 young Australians is currently experiencing an anxiety condition. This means 6.3% of Australians aged 16 to 24 have experienced an affective disorder in the last 12 months. This is equivalent to approx. 180,000 young people today. 15.4% of Australians aged 16 to 24 have experienced an anxiety disorder in the last 12 months. This is equivalent to approx. 440,000 young people today. Half of all lifetime cases of mental health disorders start by age 14 years and three fourths by age 24 years.

WHAT ARE DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY? Depression and anxiety are NOT the same thing Clinical diagnosis can need anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months of symptoms Both share similar coping mechanisms Not uncommon to have both depression and anxiety at the same time

RESEARCH TOPIC By digitizing current mental health practices mobile based applications will provide a useful resource for self-treatment of depression and anxiety in young people.

PRIOR RESEARCH Serious Games “The term ‘serious game’ is used in the games industry to describe games that have a useful outcome or that model real-life situations.”[3] Constructivist Theory Constructivist theory suggests that we learn by connecting new experiences with old experiences.[4] In the context of the experiment we could draw the assumption: “Every time I finish using my application I feel better than when I started. This means playing the game puts me in a good mood so I will try to do it next time I feel depressed or anxious.”

PRIOR RESEARCH Previous games in the Serious Games genre[5]: Re-mission Treasure Hunt Ricky and the Spider Eathquake in Zipland Personal Investigator Packy and Marlon Bronkie the Bronchiosaurus Playmancer and more… Re-mission 2 Leukemia mini-game Ricky and the Spider Earthquake in Zipland

RESEARCH DIFFERENTIATION Previous academic research has focused on interventions in a lab style setting with desktop computer hardware. Aim is to test whether previous research results in the field are replicated when the participant chooses to use self-treatment outside of a clinical setting. Does mobilization of existing strategies make them any more or less effective?

METHODOLOGY To use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) framework in a mobile based application[6]. ACT is a mindfulness based therapy. It is a therapy that does not attempt to reduce symptoms but does so as a bi- product of the intervention method. Mindfulness is divided into six subsets, the four I am focusing on are: Acceptance Cognitive defusion Contact with the present moment The observing self Mindfulness is “consciously bringing awareness to you’re here- and-now experience with openness, interest and receptiveness” – Russell Harris

METHODOLOGY Survey professionals in the treatment of depression and anxiety Deploy simple application to ASUS Nexus Android tablet with a mini game focusing on each of the ACT subsets. Log user feedback in the form of simple in-game surveys taken before and after each play session. Potentially expand the study to a combination clinical / non clinical study and measure heart rates of participants during play sessions. Target location high school setting in student counselling areas.

UI WIREFRAMES

OUTCOMES TARGET AUDIENCE School children suffering from depression or anxiety in years 7-9. FEEDBACK CHANNELS In-game surveys Heart Rate readings Professional surveys

TERMINATION CRITERIA A deployable and functional android application that stores user surveys of game sessions Professional user analysis to determine if software targets specified intervention outcomes A sufficient sample of data has been collected such that a reasonable conclusion can be reached

TIMELINE

CONCLUSION Why we should research depression and anxiety Discussed prior research in the field of serious games Develop android based application for ASUS Nexus tablet Record user evaluations of mood Record physical changes to heart rate of user during game play Infer from data whether the application was able to help aid in self treatment in this project.

QUESTIONS?

REFERENCES 1.Beyond Blue. "Stats and facts." Retrieved 1st April, 2015, from Kelly, C., et al. (2013). Youth Mental Health First Aid Manual: A manual for adults assisting young people. Melbourne, Australia, Mental Health First Aid Australia. 3.2.Fitzgerald, M. and G. Kirk (2013). "SERIOUS GAMES: AN INTERVENTION IN LOW- SECURE SETTINGS." Mental Health Practice 17(3). 4.Annetta, L. A. (2010). "The “I's” have it: A framework for serious educational game design." Review of General Psychology 14(2): Brezinka, V. (2014). "Computer games supporting cognitive behaviour therapy in children." Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry 19(1): Harris, R. (2006). "Embracing your demons: an overview of acceptance and commitment therapy." Psychotherapy in Australia 12(4): 70.