According the National Institute of Mental Health, more than 16 million
American adults had at least one major depressive episode in 2016. This number
represented 6.7% (1 out of every 15) of all U.S. adults.
In addition to that, an estimated 3.1 million U.S. adolescents aged 12 to 17 had
at least one major depressive episode in 2016. This number represented 12.8%
(1 out of every 8) of the U.S. population aged 12 to 17.
The impact of depression on an individual and his or her family and friends
cannot be measured, but the total economic burden of Major Depression
Disorder is now estimated to be $210.5 billion per year, a 21% rise from the
$173.2 billion seen five years earlier.

[i]Treatment for depression[/i]

• Less than a third of depressive adults receive any kind of treatment
• Approximately 60% of adolescents with major depressive episodes did not
receive treatment.

[b]What can be done to improve this situation?[/b]

One challenge that arises in modern mental health care is the development of
innovative treatment concepts. One possibility for improving mental health care
services is to deliver them via the Internet. Online-based mental health services
have the potential to address the unmet need for mental health care.

[b]Can online self-help for depression achieve results as effective as traditional face-to-face therapy?[/b]

[i]Scientific research indicates:[/i]

• It seems safe to conclude that guided self-help and face-to-face treatments can
have comparable effects.
• Computerized CBT for anxiety and depressive disorders, especially via the
internet, has the capacity to provide effective acceptable and practical health
care for those who might otherwise remain untreated.
• Self-guided internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy may be a viable alternative
to current first-step treatment approaches for symptoms of depression, particularly
in those individuals who are not willing to have any therapeutic contact.
• Self-guided iCBT is effective in treating depressive symptoms. The use of metaanalyses
of individual participant data provides substantial evidence for clinical
and policy decision making because self-guided iCBT can be considered as an
evidence-based first-step approach in treating symptoms of depression

[b]Introduction to Resilico’s Depression Self-Help Program[/b]
[i]A modern way to help people suffering from depression[/i]

[i]Purpose of the Program[/i]

Resilico’s Depression Self-Help Program is not a therapy but a course. It sets out to
reduce depression symptoms and enhance resilience. See https://resilico.com.

[i]The scientific basis of the Program[/i]

The Program follows the protocols of
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Behavioral Activation Therapy

[i]The lessons[/i]

The 5-month program contains 15 lessons, presented as online videos. Students
are in control: they can pause a lesson, step back («Can you please repeat what
you just said?») and go back to part of a lesson they had completed before. The
discussion of homework assignments when they have not been completed is
skipped, so the lessons are interactive.

[i]The teachers[/i]

The teachers are pleasantly neutral avatars who speak clear English with a slight
American accent. Closed captions are available throughout each of the lessons,
making them accessible to hearing-impaired students. See the website Gallery:
https://resilico.com/gallery.
Students often experience it as a relief that they do not need to maintain an
emotional relationship with the virtual teachers.

[i]Homework assignments[/i]

Homework is assigned in the lessons and is discussed in the next lesson.

[i]Use of electronic forms[/i]

In face-to-face therapy, therapists ask questions that aim to generate new insights
for the client. Instead, the course uses electronic forms with often surprising
questions designed to encourage introspection and insights.
Students have access to all electronic forms they submitted during the course,
including the questions and the answers they supplied.

[i]Monitoring depression[/i]

In each lesson, students fill in the PHQ-9 questionnaire so that they can monitor
the course of their depression.

[i]In touch with the team[/i]

In every lesson, students have the opportunity to get in touch with the human
team to share their personal story, to tell about important events that have
recently taken place in their lives or to ask questions about a previous lesson.

[i]Waiting list[/i]
There is no waiting list. Students who register today can start the course
tomorrow

The first 3 lessons of the course are offered free of charge, so that students can familiarize themselves with the Program. There is no obligation to continue after taking these lessons. The price of the remaining 12 lessons is $300.

Members of US non-profit organizations that cooperate with Resilico are entitled to a 20% discount on the price of the course.