By participating in research you can:

• Be involved in innovative programs
• Help increase knowledge and understanding of anxiety, depression, and related issues
• Help improve management and treatment options

Researchers: Do you want your study promoted here? ( click for more information)

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A free program for family members of those who experience OCD
Posted 11 March 2013

Swinburne University is undertaking research to pilot a program developed to support family members* or carers of adults who experience OCD symptoms.  (*Family member is anyone living with, or in a supportive relationships with, someone experiencing OCD symptoms.)

There is a considerable body of evidence which acknowledges the difficulty that someone with OCD and their loved one experience in managing OCD and the impact on the quality of life of family members.  The purpose of the program is:

• To educate family members on the possible causes, development and treatment of OCD, family accommodation and how to manage living with OCD including self care.
• To assist family members to reduce the number of incidents of family accommodation behaviours.
• To reduce the level of distress experienced by family members and carers of people with OCD.
• To improve the quality of life reports of family members and carers of people with OCD.

The 5 session program covers the following information;

• Introduction to OCD
• Development and treatment of OCD
• What is Family Accommodation?
• Living with OCD and managing family accommodation
• Self care

Each 2 hour session provides information and a chance to ask questions about the key topic followed by an opportunity to discuss your experiences of living with OCD with the group facilitator and other group members.
To participate in the program you must be over 18 years of age and the person with OCD must also be over 18 years of age.  There is no requirement for a formal diagnosis of OCD to have been made for the person with OCD.
Prior to participating in the program you will be asked to participate in an interview regarding your experiences of living with an adult who has been diagnosed with OCD (see separate consent information sheet). If you do not wish to undertake the interview you will not be precluded from participating in the program.  You will also be asked to complete some questionnaires both before and after undertaking the program. The questionnaires include questions about your current quality of life and your mood in the past four weeks and also information about your experiences of living with OCD and being asked to accommodate OCD rituals.  The interview and questionnaire will take approximately 30- 60 minutes to complete. These can be competed at Swinburne University Psychology Clinic or at a mutually agreed meeting place. 

The group program itself is a two hour session completed over 5 weeks (or fortnightly depending upon the preference of the group).  The first hour provides information and support about each of the key topic areas outlined in the introduction delivered by the group psychologist.  There is a short break followed by a discussion group where participants will have the opportunity to discuss their experiences of living with OCD, to seek assistance and support from the Psychologist and group members regarding managing aspects of OCD behaviour and requests to be involved in OCD rituals.

There is no cost to participants for taking part in the group. Groups will be held at the Swinburne Psychology Clinic.  However, if demand for the groups arises in regional areas the group facilitator is willing to travel to complete groups on those areas.

For more information contact the research team on:

• Researcher:    Samantha Beeken
  
• Phone:             0457 116 037
• Email:              SBEEKEN@swin.edu.au
  

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Major Depressive Disorder, anti-depressants and emotional experiences
Posted 10 December 2012

The Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute is looking for volunteers with major depressive disorder to participate in clinical research. During the study, eligible participants will receive all antidepressant medications and regular follow-up from the study psychiatrist, at no cost.

If you answer 'yes' to the below questions, you may be eligible to participate.

• Are you aged 18- 65 years?
• Have you been diagnosed with major depressive disorder or are you experiencing a relapse of your symptoms?
• Have you been consistently depressed or down, most of the day, nearly every day, for the past two weeks?
• Have you been much less interested in most things or much less able to enjoy the things you used to enjoy most of the time
  

The study aims to explore the effects of antidepressant medications on emotional experiences.

Participation in this study will require up to 12 visits to the Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute (75 Commercial Road, Prahran, Victoria) over 7 months.

Each participant will have an equal chance of receiving agomelatine or escitalopram (antidepressants which are approved in Australia to treat major depressive disorder).

The study will monitor your emotional experiences, improvements in feelings and emotions, your ability to experience pleasure, symptoms of your depression, and personality traits. Other assessments will include physical examinations, measurement of vital signs (blood pressure and heart rate), blood and urine samples, and electrocardiograms (ECGs; recordings of the electrical activity of the heart).

Identifying information obtained in this research project will be treated as confidential.

For more information contact the research team on:

• Phone:       (03) 8532 1499
• Email:         psychresearch@bakeridi.edu.au

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Social anxiety in a "connected" world
Posted 14 September 2012

This study is looking at electronic communication (e.g. facebook, twitter, email, chat-rooms, forums) used by people who find social interaction challenging.

We want to talk to people who are:

• 18 years or over
• Like to use online communication and
• Experience anxiety symptoms in a social situation (eg blushing, raised heart-rate, shaking hands, fear of saying something silly)

                                                
We will ask you some questions about how and why you use the computer to communicate with others. We will also ask about your social anxiety.

Following an initial phone call to talk over your experiences and how you might be included in our study, we’ll make an appointment to meet with you. The face to face session will take approximately 1.5 hours and can be done at a location that suits you (eg Swinburne University, library, at your home etc.).

To sign up or ask for more information, contact:

• Researcher:     Ian Clark –  iclark@swin.edu.au  (mobile: 0409 251 290)
• Supervisor:    Anna Thomas - athomas@swin.edu.au 

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Feeling Depressed?
Posted 7 September 2012

Little is known about how to effectively treat depression and most individuals experiencing depression often need to try numerous medications to find suitable treatment.
International Study to Predict Optimized Treatment in Depression [iSPOT-D] is the largest study of its kind, aiming to determine who will respond to which antidepressant.

The Principal Aim is to get the prescription right the first time.

You may be eligible to participate if you are:

1. currently experiencing symptoms of depression
   
2. are aged  between 18–65 years

The study involves:

• Completing two visits to Swinburne University in Hawthorn
• Completing 7 brief telephone check-ins within one year
• Treatment from your own doctor with a commonly prescribed antidepressant
• Providing a blood sample

Participants are reimbursed for their time.

If you are interested and would like to find out more please contact

• Karen Savage at The Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University, Hawthorn on Phone (03) 9214 8267 or Email ksavage@swin.edu.au.
• Research flyer
  

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The effect of parenting styles and stressful life events on the development of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Posted 20 July 2012

Researchers from Victoria University are currently looking for anyone over the age to 18 to participate in a study investigating the effect of parenting styles in early childhood and recent stressful life experiences on the development of obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours.

This research is designed to better identify specific environmental risk factors involved in the development of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in a non-clinical population.  Parenting styles and stressful life events have extensively been shown in the literature to effect the development of anxiety disorders, such as social anxiety disorder and panic disorder.  However, more research is needed to further extend our knowledge of their effect on the potential development of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Each participant who completes the questionnaire for this study will help towards understanding the extent to which the combination of parenting styles and recent stressful life experiences contribute towards the potential development of sub-clinical levels of OCD. Further, the findings of this research will highlight environmental risk factors to look out for when screening for OCD in a clinical setting.

Participation in this anonymous research project is voluntary and requires following a direct link to complete the questionnaire online, which should take approximately between 10 to 15 minutes. Please note that no personal identification details will be recorded for this research as the questionnaire is entirely anonymous. 

If you would like to participate in this research, please follow the link below to complete the questionnaire online. Participation is voluntary and you are free to discontinue participation at any time.

• Direct link to survey is here

If you have any questions about this project, please contact the researchers:

• Associate Professor Gerard Kennedy (03 9919 2481)                                
• Catherine Hluchanic (cat_hlu@hotmail.com)

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A program for managing Anxiety for Teenagers with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)
Posted 6 July 2012

A research study at The Royal Children’s Hospital is currently underway aimed at helping teenagers with acquired brain injury (ABI) manage their anxiety.  We are looking for teenagers to participate in the study who have had an ABI and are experiencing anxiety.

We know that after an acquired brain injury, some teenagers may experience increased levels of anxiety, for instance, in social situations. So far, very little research has looked at the ways we can help them overcome anxiety difficulties and improve the way they are able to get along with others at school, home and in the community. We have developed a program for managing anxiety for teenagers who have had an acquired brain injury. The program is based on the “Chilled” program which previous research has shown to be helpful for teenagers who do not have an acquired brain injury.

Who can participate?
We would like to hear from you if you or your child:

1. is aged 12–19 years,
2. has had an acquired brain injury (e.g., traumatic brain injury, stroke),
3. has difficulties with anxiety, and
4. the injury/onset occurred more than 6 months ago.

What does it involve?
Teenagers enrolled in the study will participate in a cognitive-behavioural therapy program aimed at reducing their anxiety and to increase his/her participation in everyday activities. The program runs for 11 sessions over 11 weeks.

Want to participate?

For more information, or to express your interest in participating in this study, please contact the Researchers:

• Irene Dinatale on (03) 9936 6630    Email: irene.dinatale@mcri.edu.au
  
• Tamera Clancy on (03) 9936 6671  Email: tamera.clancy@mcri.edu.au.

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The role of parental factors in anxiety-based school refusal
Posted 30 April 2012

While many adolescents find going to school fun and rewarding, others find it very difficult, causing lots of worries and anxieties. Often parents aren’t sure how to handle these worries and can find it difficult to support their children in getting to school.

The Monash University Centre for Developmental Psychiatry and Psychology are conducting research about adolescent wellbeing, anxiety about school and parental factors that might be involved, including parental anxiety and depression. Understanding what might help parents to support their children is important for helping adolescents who experience such worries.

Who can participate?

We are looking for people aged 12 to 17 years old, along with their parent or guardian, to participate in the study. Your child may or may not experience worries about school, we are interested in speaking with all types of adolescents and their parents.

What does it involve?

You and your child would be required to complete a series of questionnaires, estimated to take approximately 20mins. Parents will randomly offered to complete an additional interview at a time and place convenient to you.

All participants will go in the draw to win one of three Double Gold Class Cinema Passes.

Want to participate?

For more information, or to express your interest in participating in this study, please contact:

Belinda Melling, Monash University Centre for Developmental Psychiatry and Psychology

• Mobile 0416 209 426
• Email: Belinda.melling@monash.edu

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Diary Treatment for Anxiety and Depression
Posted 26 March 2012

Researchers from the School of Psychology at Deakin University are conducting an online study into the effectiveness of a brief diary in the treatment of anxiety disorders and depression.

Anxiety disorders and depression are very common in the community and research into effective treatments is vital. There is research evidence that the treatment approach used in this diary study is associated with increased wellbeing, improved sleep quality and lower levels of anxiety and depression. This project aims to build on that research, using a robust design and an Australian sample.

If you agree to take part in the study, you will be asked to complete a three-week diary. This would take about five minutes a day, three days a week for three weeks. You will also be asked to return to the project website to complete a series of questionnaires, on either three or four occasions, over 6 to 9 weeks. The questionnaires will take about 30 minutes to complete on each occasion, for a total of about 90-120 minutes.

In recognition of the time participants take to complete the questions, each time participants access the website for one of the three or four stages of the study, they will be entered in a draw for a $50 Coles Myer Voucher.

Participants must have a current diagnosis of an anxiety disorder and/or depression, live in Australia, be 18 years or over, and able to read English fluently.

• Direct link to the study is here.
  

If you have any questions about this project, please contact:

• Supervisor: Ms Emma Gould, Lecturer, School of Psychology, Deakin University. Email: emma.gould@deakin.edu.au
  
• Student Researcher: Ms Sharon Southwell. Email: ssouthwe@deakin.edu.au 

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Obsessive Complusive Disorder: Attachment, cognition and self-beliefs
Posted 6 February 2012

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder that is characterised by the repeated occurence of instrusive thoughts and by compulsive actions. Researchers from Swinburne University are looking to extend research into current models of OCD through asking about beliefs about self and relationships.

Please note, we are seeking people without a diagnosis of OCD to do this research. IF you have OCD you are free to continue, although you may find some questions to be confronting.

Participation in this research involves completing an anonymous online survey. The survey involves a series of questions about you in relation to others, your thought processes, current mood state, and some demographic details. It should take around 30 minutes to complete. Please note that some questions about sensitive topics will be asked in this study. If you are uncomfortable with this, you may wish not to participate (e.g.: symptoms of depression and OCD, experiences of close relationships, and views you have about yourself).

If you decide to participate in this research, please complete the anonymous survey online. It is important that you understand that your participation in this study must be voluntary. You are free to discontinue participation at any time.

• Direct link to the survey is here.

If you have any questions about this project, please contact:

• Supervisor: Dr Richard Moulding, Lecturer, Swinburne University of Technology: Phone: (03) 9214 4686, Email: rmoulding@swin.edu.au
• Student Researcher: Jude Allamby: Email: j.allamby@bigpond.com
  

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