Sustainable Upscaling of Depression Prevention

Research shows that online unguided self-help interventions focused on psycho-education, skills training and lifestyle can prevent mild mood complaints from turning into a full-blown depression. These encouraging results are found even though the adherence to these types of interventions is generally low.With this project, the investigators examine whether adherence to online unguided self-help interventions can be increased by additional motivational guidance elements and as such further improve the effectiveness. This is examined by adding three additional components to the intervention: 1) A coach who provides online feedback once a week to provide support. 2) Mobile application to monitor mood and related factors and to receive automated personalized messages, 3) Content based on the principles of motivational interviewing. A secondary aim is to compare the additional effects of the individual components against the additional costs.

Inclusion Criteria:Aged 18 years or olderMild to moderate depression as defined by a score between 5 and 15 on the Patient Health Questionnaire - 9 (PHQ-9)Adequate written proficiency in the Dutch languageHave a valid email address and computer with internet accessIn possession of a smartphoneExclusion Criteria:Current risk for suicide according to the PHQ-9 questionnaire (question 9, score of 1 or higher)Currently receiving psychological treatment for depression or another psychiatric disorder in primary or specialized mental health careCurrently having a psychiatric disorder