Color your life; online self-help course by Mentalshare
Developed on the VitalHealth Platform for its capabilities in the area of presentation and user friendliness
Nearly 1 in 5 Dutch citizens will deal with some form of depression during the course of their life. The online self-help program "Color your life" helps those individuals that want to battle depression. The Dutch "Silver Cross" is the first insurance provider to cover this online program for its subscriber base.
Prevention
"Color your life" is an interactive website developed by the Trimbos Institute, and offered by Mentalshare. Up until the 1st of February 2010, it was subsidized by the Dutch Ministry of Public Health. The objective of the self-help program is to address or reduce episodes of depression for adults, and ultimately to help prevent mental illness. This approach is a good fit with the vision of Silver Cross concerning self-help and prevention.
Good results
"Color your life" consists of 8 tutorials that help a patient deal with their symptoms and find more enjoyment in life. Many patients have reacted positively to this low-threshold form of self-help, that puts the patient in control. A physician referral can be avoided, and the on-line course can be taken at the patient's own pace. After signup, a psychologist determines if this form of self-help is appropriate for the reported symptoms. More than 11,000 people have taken the course over the past few years., with 70% reporting increased ability to cope with the symptoms of their depression.
Proven effectiveness
"Color your life" has proven itself to be effective in reducing symptoms and avoiding clinical depression. Says Filip Smit, professor of evidence-based mental health at the Free University and senior researcher at the Trimbos Institute: "Research shows that online self-help programs for depression are both clinically and economically effective. The possibility of developing depression is reduced by 20-30%. The course has been endorsed as effective by the "Center of Healthy Living" of the Dutch Ministry of Public Health.
VitalHealth Platform based
The new and improved verion of "Color your life" was developed on top of the VitalHealth Platform in 2010. VitalHealth was chosen based on their capabilities in the areas of UI styling and user friendliness.
For additional information about "Color your life", please visit www.kleurjeleven.nl and www.zilverenkruis.nl/kleurjeleven.
Prevention
"Color your life" is an interactive website developed by the Trimbos Institute, and offered by Mentalshare. Up until the 1st of February 2010, it was subsidized by the Dutch Ministry of Public Health. The objective of the self-help program is to address or reduce episodes of depression for adults, and ultimately to help prevent mental illness. This approach is a good fit with the vision of Silver Cross concerning self-help and prevention.
Good results
"Color your life" consists of 8 tutorials that help a patient deal with their symptoms and find more enjoyment in life. Many patients have reacted positively to this low-threshold form of self-help, that puts the patient in control. A physician referral can be avoided, and the on-line course can be taken at the patient's own pace. After signup, a psychologist determines if this form of self-help is appropriate for the reported symptoms. More than 11,000 people have taken the course over the past few years., with 70% reporting increased ability to cope with the symptoms of their depression.
Proven effectiveness
"Color your life" has proven itself to be effective in reducing symptoms and avoiding clinical depression. Says Filip Smit, professor of evidence-based mental health at the Free University and senior researcher at the Trimbos Institute: "Research shows that online self-help programs for depression are both clinically and economically effective. The possibility of developing depression is reduced by 20-30%. The course has been endorsed as effective by the "Center of Healthy Living" of the Dutch Ministry of Public Health.
VitalHealth Platform based
The new and improved verion of "Color your life" was developed on top of the VitalHealth Platform in 2010. VitalHealth was chosen based on their capabilities in the areas of UI styling and user friendliness.
For additional information about "Color your life", please visit www.kleurjeleven.nl and www.zilverenkruis.nl/kleurjeleven.
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