SBIR-STTR Award

The project will apply a validated treatment for depression to an interactive multimedia platform. The annual direct costs of depression to business exceed $44 billion; health care costs of depression are additional and immense. The Coping With Depression program, developed and evaluated by Peter Lewinsohn, Ph.D. and colleagues, has demonstrated efficacy across diverse populations. The structured curriculum adapts well to an interactive delivery system, allowing low cost mass dissemination. The product is expected to be more effective than traditional print self-help products due to the high degree of interactivity, which facilitates an individualized and engaging learning environment. The user will develop and apply a practical, personalized behavioral and self-monitoring program. The product will be marketed to health care institutions, insurance companies, businesses and other major employers who require a cost-effective adjunct to psychopharmacological and psychotherapeutic intervention for depressed and distressed individuals. Phase I will develop a prototype interactive product with multimedia features, that will teach the primary self-management skills of the Coping With Depression program. The product will be evaluated for impact on mood, functional adjustment, and for consumer satisfaction with 60 subjects. Phase II will develop products for dissemination via full multimedia CD-ROM and the Internet.Proposed Commercial Application:According to the DEPRESSION/Awareness, Recognition, and Treatment project (D/ART), sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health, The economic cost of depressive illnesses is $30-44 billion a year. Depressive illnesses disrupt the lives of over 17 million adults plus millions more who are the family, friends, co-workers and employers of these afflicted individuals (D/ART Internet site, http://www.nimh.nih.gov/dart/gen- fact.htm, 1998). At present only a small minority of individuals who are in need of treatment intervention actually receive help. Many distressed or depressed individuals go unidentified, others choose not to follow through with treatment recommendations, and for many, meeting with a professional presents a significant barrier. The costs of traditional treatments, both psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacological, are high. The financial interests of the health care system and employers converge with the needs of consumer to create a demand for an accessible, low cost and effective intervention for ameliorating the dramatic human and financial costs of depressive illnesses. The market of potential consumers for the product numbers in the millions, if not tens of millions.

Thesaurus Terms:
computer human interaction, computer program /software, computer system design /evaluation, coping, depression, interactive multimedia, psychotherapy emotion, optical data storage, psychopharmacology, self help clinical research, human subject

This project further develops and evaluates an instructional CD-ROM product, the Attitude mPowerment Workshop, for teaching coping skills for managing depression. The product extends the demonstrated promise of the Phase I prototype by broadening the content and enhancing the interactivity and multimedia components. The prevalence and impact of depressive illness demonstrates the need for low cost, accessible interventions. Digital technology makes possible efficient mass distribution of an individualized, engaging and effective learning experience. The Attitude mPowerment Workshop, based on the Coping With Depression intervention developed by Dr. Peter Lewinsohn and his Associates, has been empirically validated as effective in alleviating depression. A new module, Physical Activity, will be added in response to the demonstrated efficacy of physical activity for improving mood. The product will be suitable for mass distribution through health and mental health care institutions, health maintenance organizations, health insurance companies and employee assistance programs. In addition, multimedia training materials will be developed to provide instruction to professionals who prescribe the product to end-users. The efficacy of the product will be studied by measuring its added value over a one year period to a "usual care" depression intervention provided in primary health care settings. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: The research will evaluate the efficacy of an interactive CD-ROM product that can potentially assist tens of millions of people in the United States who suffer from depression or depressive symptoms. The product will be appropriate for distribution through established mental health and health care institutions, including health maintenance organizations, primary care clinics, employee assistance programs and health insurance organizations.

Thesaurus Terms:
computer assisted instruction, computer system design /evaluation, coping, depression, educational resource design /development, interactive multimedia, psychotherapy, self help DVD /CD ROM, human therapy evaluation, stress management, work site behavioral /social science research tag, clinical research, human subject