Computer Aided Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Programmes (CCBT)

There are now a number of computer packages available to use either at home or from clinic based locations which may be beneficial in treating anxiety disorders. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recently recommended Beating the Blues as an option for delivering CBT in the management of mild and moderate depression, and FearFighter as an option for delivering CBT in the management of panic and phobias.

See: http://www.nice.org.uk/pdf/CCBT_FAD.pdf for more information.

There are also a number of free to access websites which provide CCBT. These are:

• http://moodgym.anu.edu.au
• http://www.livinglifetothefull.com
• http://www.kpchr.org/feelbetter/

• http://www.climate tv/

For more information on CCBT packages see below:

• Beating the Blues
• Fearfighter for phobias
• Restoring the balance for anxiety and depression
• OC Fighter (formerly BT Steps)
• Anxiety Training CD-ROM
• Overcoming Depression CD-ROM

Beating the Blues

Beating the Blues is a computerised cognitive behavioural therapy programme for anxiety and depression, which was developed jointly by Ultrasis plc and Dr Judy Proudfoot from the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London. The programme consists of an introductory video and 8 fifty minute sessions which incorporate best practice in cognitive and behavioural therapy delivered through a computer based multi-media package. See http://www.ultrasis.com for more information.

Fearfighter for Phobias

Fearfighter - is an internet delivered course of therapy and is suitable for patients suffering from panic/anxiety and phobia. The package was developed by Prof Isaac Marks and Stuart Toole. See http://www.fearfighter.com for more information.

Restoring the balance: a self help programme for managing anxiety and depression.

The Restoring the Balance programme is a self-help CD-ROM designed for people with mild to moderate anxiety and depression, providing information and strategies for managing problems. Employing techniques from cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), Restoring the balance is designed to encourage patients to change their patterns of thought.

The programme has been designed to be used in settings where post-session support is available, but can also be offered as a stand-alone programme for well-motivated users working on their own. It uses simple instructions, text and graphics making it particularly suitable for people who have limited (or no) experience of using computers. It comes complete with accompanying worksheets.

OC Fighter (formerly known as BT Steps)

OC Fighter is a CCBT program aimed at people suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The program helps people to learn how to tailor therapy to meet their particular needs, whilst also enabling them to monitor their progress, making changes where necessary.

For more information, please contact Ashvina on 0121 233 2873 or email ashvina@ccbt.co.uk

Anxiety Training: An engaging CD-ROM for healthcare professionals and others

What causes anxiety, how can you identify that someone has the condition and what treatments are available? These are just some of the questions answered on the Anxiety Training CD-ROM from Calipso.

This easy to use CD-ROM, for use by healthcare professionals and others who work in this area, helps develop identification and assessment skills and provides a wealth of information on the condition and the latest treatments available.

Engaging and highly informative, the training course uses video clips taken from patient case studies to demonstrate how to undertake an assessment and multiple-choice questions are set at key points to test gains in knowledge.

Training CD-ROMs on other mental health conditions, such as depression, schizophrenia and dementia are also available.

A team of doctors based at universities in Leeds and Glasgow developed the Calipso CD-ROMs. The team has extensive experience training medical students in mental health and each doctor also manages a caseload of patients with mental health problems.

Overcoming Depression: A new self-help CD-ROM from Calipso

This interactive CD-ROM motivates people with mild to moderate depression to self-manage their condition.

It contains a self-help course that uses a Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) approach to teach the user about the causes of their depression, encourage them to change unhelpful behaviours and help them develop their own self-management plan.

Comprising six one-hour sessions, the course uses a mix of video clips and soundtracks to demonstrate key points and teach coping skills. Multiple-choice questions are set throughout to gather information and the user is set tasks to complete between sessions.

The CD-ROM is self-contained and the user can work through sessions in private.

It is advised that a healthcare professional reviews the user's progress on the course and therefore the CD-ROM is available to healthcare professionals only. It is supplied with an annual licence allowing unlimited use with patients in a clinic-based environment.

A team of doctors based at universities in Leeds and Glasgow developed the Calipso CD-ROMs. The team has extensive experience training medical students in mental health and each doctor also manages a caseload of patients with mental health problems.