The new wave of youth digital mental health: how MOST is challenging the mental healthcare model for young people

“It’s a big problem, even in face-to-face care, that people drop out after a few sessions and don’t engage in treatment for long enough to get the benefits of therapy, says head of research at Orygen Digital, Associate Professor Shane Cross.<br/><br/>In this episode of Digital Mental Health Musings, we talk to Professor Cross and Savanah Whieldon, Orygen Digital’s Queensland Peer Work Coordinator, about the inspiring work that led to MOST (Moderated Online Social Therapy). It’s a platform that has been co-designed with young people and brings together a multi-disciplinary team of youth mental health experts, computer programmers, health informer experts, a web designer, writer, and graphic designer to transform youth mental health through digital technology.<br/><br/>In this conversation we chat about how health professionals can use MOST to support young people while they're waiting for care, to expand on their face-to-face sessions once they are in care, and to use after discharge from a service. We also delve into the research behind MOST, who the service is best suited to, what young people have to say about the service and we take a look at the platform’s safety systems that allow potentially risky content to be flagged, reviewed and acted upon with evidence-based clinical interventions.<br/><br/>MOST is available through selected headspace and state-based specialist services across Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT. <br/><br/>Learn more about Orygen Digital at: https://www.orygen.org.au/Our-Research/Research-Areas/Orygen-Digital<br/><br/>Learn more about MOST at: https://most.org.au/