ANN ARBOR – New data from a mental wellness program developed at the University of Michigan reveals it has had significant benefits for participants suffering from depression and anxiety during the pandemic.
The Mood Lifters program serves those with moderate to severe depression and anxiety. Over the past year, participants have demonstrated a more than 50% decrease in depressive symptoms and nearly 50% decrease in anxiety, according to program leadership.
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“This data is particularly impressive because on average, people in Mood Lifters groups got healthier while the rates of depression and anxiety were increasing around the world,” Dr. Patricia Deldin, CEO and creator of Mood Lifters said in a statement. “It is even more remarkable because we were able to do it at a very low cost of $12/meeting.”
In psychological intervention, a 25-50% decrease in symptoms is considered the benchmark.
Mood Lifters groups teach “biopsychosocial” strategies for people to utilize in their daily lives.
“I’ve been in the field of psychology for many years and have the benefit of seeing strategies that can help almost everyone feel better — if done regularly,” Deldin said in a statement. “In Mood Lifters, we selected research-based skills shown to help most people live a healthier and happier life. From our own data, we see that Mood Lifters helps people of all demographics, but participants with at least moderate anxiety and depression see the most improvement.”
Neither therapy nor support groups, Mood Lifters groups provide peer-led mental health skills trainings each week with a customizable goal-setting tracking system for participants.
To learn more about the virtual mental wellness program, click here.