News Archive

Setting up your computer to access RID programs

1. Enable “Cookies” so that you can login

Please close all instances of your browser and go to your Windows Desktop.

Go to the Windows Control Panel and choose Internet Options. If you are in the Category View, choose Network and Internet Connections, and then Internet Options.

On the Privacy tab under the Settings section, click the Advanced button.

Check the box to enable the Override automatic cookie handling option.

Check the box to enable the Always allow session cookies option.

Click OK to close the Advanced Privacy Settings window.

Click OK to close the Internet Options window.

2. Enable JavaScript so that you can view extra content

Select 'Tools' from the top menu

Choose 'Internet Options'

Click on the 'Security' tab

Click on 'Custom Level'

Scroll down until you see section labelled 'Scripting'

Under 'Active Scripting', select 'Enable' and click OK

3. Have Flash 4.0 Plug in so that you can view graphics

This program can be downloaded from the internet. Please choose a reliable site to download the program.

4. Check your username and password

Please check your password and username for the following:

It is possible that perhaps 1 (one) is used in your password rather than l for lima (we've had a few other people who have had this problem). Similarly you might need to use a 0 (zero) instead of O (Orange) in your password. Also the hyphen in the userid is an underscore i.e. _ rather than a -.

If your computer does not respond to any of the above features being enabled and you cannot access your online programs, please consider downloading another browser Firefox at http://www.mozilla.com/ and try to re-access your online program.

Welcome to 2010

9 February 2010

Our best wishes to all our participants, site visitors and collaborators for this New Year. We hope that you have had a pleasant and relaxing holiday.

Although the holidays are generally a quiet period in terms of the number of visitors who access the RID site, we noted that there were nearly 2000 unique visitors to this site from December 2009 to January this year. In total, since the RID site was launched in September 2007, nearly 43,000 visitors have accessed the site and there have been over 250,000 hits.

We hope that you are finding the resources that are listed under list of Sources of Help and Information useful. Our weblogs show that these pages are visited by many people on a daily basis. If you would like us to update details for any of the listed organisations and/or add new organisations please email us.

Over 700 participants have now enrolled and are taking part in the trial. Nearly all have received access to their initial online survey and online programs and exercises. Just over 70% has received access to the six-month follow-up online mental health assessment and just over a third of the participants have received access to their 12-month follow-up online mental health assessment.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our participants for accessing and completing their online programs and follow-up assessments on a regular basis. We also very much appreciate receiving their feedback on the online programs and study in general.

We now look forward to reaching a few more milestones for the trial this year in partnership with our participants and collaborators.

If you have any suggestions for new material that you would like us to consider including on this website, we would appreciate hearing from you by email.

Best wishes,
The RID Team

Looking Forward to the Next Stages of the Trial

15 December 2009

Having completed the enrolment phase for the trial and reaching our target of enrolling 700 participants from across the country, we are now looking forward to completing the follow-up assessments for all of our trial participants in the next two years. More importantly, we are looking forward to being able to analyse the data and report on the immediate to short term impact of the online interventions.

Our sincere thanks to everyone in New Zealand who has conveyed information about the trial and encouraged people to take part in it over the past year. We also appreciate the feedback we receive from participants and non-participants alike, which helps us to clarify information that is presented on this website and various aspects of the trial.

We would like to wish our participants, collaborators and website visitors a happy, peaceful and safe festive season and look forward to continuing our relationships and developing new ones in 2010.

Best wishes,
The RID Team

World Mental Health Day 10 October

10 October 2009

Today is World Mental Health Day and the theme for this year is "Mental Health in Primary Care: Enhancing Treatment and Promoting Mental Health.” Detailed information on how we can make mental health a global priority can be found at the World Federation for Mental Health website and the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand.

This year we focussed our efforts to raise awareness of common mental health problems in primary care by encouraging doctors and their patients to visit the RID website. We have successfully achieved this in collaboration with our colleagues from Health TV by airing an advertisement for the RID trial via the Health TV network in over 200 doctors' waiting rooms, rural medical centres, and some hospitals around New Zealand. A substantial number of participants who have enrolled in the trial this year reported that they found out about the trial through the Health TV advertisements.

With 99% of the total number of participants we require for the trial having now enrolled, we are looking forward to completing the enrolment phase and moving forward to the next stages of the trial.

We are very grateful to all participants who have started the trial by completing their first set of online exercises. A number of participants have also completed their follow-up online assessments 5 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months after starting the trial. We value your commitment and participation to date and hope that you are finding the trial programs and exercises of some benefit. Over 37,500 visitors from New Zealand and overseas have accessed the RID website to date. We welcome receiving your feedback on the RID site and suggestions for making it more useful and accessible.

There are still some 30 places available for the trial and we invite you to consider enroling and taking part in this trial. Please feel free to contact us by email if you have any questions about the trial.

Best wishes,
The RID Team

Depression is Treatable

3 September 2009

It is nearly two years since we formally launched the RID website on 10 September 2007 to address depression and other common mental health problems in our communities.

Depression is treatable and a variety of treatments are available. This very important point was illustrated in a recent programme entitled "Taming the Black Dog" that aired on Television One NZ on the 23rd of August this year. The programme can be viewed online via this link.

Thursday the 10th of September is World Suicide Prevention Day. Depression is a major risk factor for suicide and self-harmful behaviours. The RID site has a list of a number of services and organisations that provide advice and support on mental health matters. We wish to encourage you to use this resource list for yourself and/or your family, friends, work colleagues as appropriate.

To mark World Suicide Prevention Day in New Zealand, SPINZ (Suicide Prevention Information New Zealand) is hosting a symposium on the role of culture in suicide prevention. For more information please see their web site.

We are now nearing the end of our recruitment phase for the trial. Just under 100 places remain for potential participants to take part in the trial and we are looking forward to including them in the trial. If you have any questions about the trial, please feel free to contact us.

Best wishes,
The RID Team

Inviting the Last Group for the Trial

12 August 2009

After many months of hard work and collaboration with our colleagues and groups across the country who have supported this trial to date, we are pleased to let you know that we are now in the final stages of recruiting potential participants to fill the 15% of places that remain in this trial.

We wish to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all our collaborators for their efforts to make information about the trial available as widely as possible to their many networks around the country.

With over 600 participants now enrolled in the trial and most having received their initial online exercises and programs, we are very grateful to each and every participant for their commitment to completing the trial programs and exercises and helpful feedback they have sent us so far. We look forward to having their continued participation until all the trial follow-up online assessments have been completed by 2011 and completing and making available reports on the trial in the next few years.

Although the trial is exclusively for people residing in New Zealand, we have been encouraged to note from weblog statistics for the RID website that about 24% of the hits are from overseas. The RID website has received in excess of 200,000 hits and 34,000 unique visitors since it was launched in September 2007. A world map with the countries (circled in red) that have accessed the RID website is attached for your interest (viewable by using the software program Adobe Acrobat Reader). A free world map file was downloaded for this purpose from this source.

Please remember that the RID site has a list of a number of services and organisations that provide advice and support on mental health matters.

We look forward to hearing from you and can be contacted by email.

Best wishes,
The RID Team

Depression After Brain Injury

22 June 2009

Depression is a common mental health problem that affects people who have sustained a brain injury. It frequently adds to the many challenges that people with a brain injury already have to face and compromises their quality of life. We wish to highlight this issue as last week was Brain Injury Appeal Week to raise awareness and understanding of having a brain inury and its effects on people's everyday lives in New Zealand.

Depression is treatable, and therefore, we would like to encourage people who have experienced a brain injury to consult their doctor if they are feeling down, irritable, anxious, or experiencing symptoms that might indicate they are feeling depressed. It is important to monitor and manage such symptoms not only immediately after sustaining a brain injury, but also at every medical consultation.

Psychological therapies such as cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) can help to reduce symptoms of depression. People who have sustained a brain injury may wish to discuss with their doctor whether CBT or "talk-therapy" might be helpful for them. The RID programs offer CBT via the internet and may be suitable for some people who have a brain injury.

We are now in the final stage of the enrolment phase for the RID trial with over 500 people having received access to their initial exercises and programs. We need a few more hundred people to enrol and test the online programs and exercises. Our thanks to many colleagues and organisations around the country who have conveyed information on the trial to date to their clients and networks. To date the RID website has been visited by nearly 32,000 visitors and received over 187,000 hits. About 24% of the hits are from overseas.

At the end of May we had an opportunity to discuss the trial's progress with representatives from government agencies, community organisations, and academic colleagues in Wellington via a seminar that was sponsored by the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC). Our thanks to ACC for providing this opportunity and to everyone who attended and provided valuable feedback.

If you are interested in taking part in the trial, please have a look at the online application form, and feel free to contact us if you have any questions or comments.

Best wishes,
The RID Team

Depression is a Leading Cause of Disability

25 May 2009

This week is Disability Awareness Week at the University of Otago. It was established to promote better access in communities for disabled people. We would like to highlight that not only is there a vast amount of different disabilities, both mental and physical, but also note how some people with disabilities are discriminated against, rather than treated as equals, specifically focusing on those with mental illnesses.

Mental illness could stem from emotional or physical events; be inherited; a disease; be due to alcohol or drug abuse; or a combination of different factors. All disabilities are much less manageable if people are not aware of, do not understand the different disabilities, or the way to respond to them.

Mental illness can affect anyone at any stage of their lives. Some illnesses can lead to complete recovery; others to degeneration requiring ongoing treatment. Everyone who experiences a mental illness needs support, understanding and acceptance.

Depression is considered to be one of the most prevalent conditions in primary health care practices, and is expected to become the leading cause of disability in the foreseeable future. It is thought, however, that around two-thirds of patients who are depressed are not recognised due to a lack of screening as well as clinicians facing a variety of competing demands on their time.

There are many different types of disabilities, which can lead to depression, making it harder to cope with the original disability. Issues such as prejudice, lack of funding, issues in regards to mobility and transport and public awareness of disabilities as well as public reaction, could increase the challenges faced in everyday life and consequently lead to depression.

The RID trial is open to anyone living in New Zealand. We invite you to use the information on this website and consider taking part in the trial to test some online self-help strategies that might help to reduce symptoms of depression and other common mental health problems.

Let us work together to make disability awareness a priority and try to improve the quality of life for everyone in our communities.

Best wishes,
The RID Team

Depression in Men

24 April 2009

We would like to take this opportunity to highlight depression in men, which affects many men in our communities. Further information on common symptoms of depression that men experience and sources of support and treatment are available from a pamphlet from the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand's website. The website also includes a section on New Zealand and international research on depression in men and its impact on their lives, which might also be of interest.

We currently have an animated advertisement for the RID trial playing in the reception areas of around 200 or so general practitioners' practices, community health centres and hospitals around the country through the Health TV network to encourage people to visit the RID site and consider trialling the online programs with us, if they feel they might be helpful.

Earlier this week we met with our clinical psychologists colleagues from the Otago District Health Board (ODHB) to discuss how we could use the RID online programs for the benefit of clients and practitioners. We wish to thank Deirdre Brown and Holly Hammond, who coordinate the Professional Development Meeting for the ODHB Clinical Psychologists Group for their kind invitation to meet with them and their colleagues to discuss the RID trial. Our discussion highlighted the mutual concerns as practitioners and researchers we have in being able to better identify and manage depression and other common mental health problems in our community.

With several hundred people having now accessed their RID online programs and over half having had access to their follow-up online survey on mental health six months after they began their online programs, we hope that many people are finding the online programs and the information on the RID website helpful. We welcome receiving your feedback and can be contacted via our trial email address.

Best wishes
The RID Team

World Health Day: Mental Health is Vital

7 April 2009

Today is World Health Day and focusses on the safety of health centres and facilities and the ability of health workers to respond to emergencies.

We would like to take this opportunity to highlight that mental health is a key component of health and regarded as the foundation of well-being for individuals and the communities to which they belong.

For your interest, there is a fact sheet on mental health that can be viewed on the World Health Organisation's website.

Results from the latest national survey on Quality of Life were released this month and suggest that despite the economic downturn and its impact on individuals and their communities, most people who took part in the survey felt that they had a good sense of well-being and were satisfied with their life in general.

The results also indicate that stress affects about 1 in 12 people on a regular basis and impacts negatively on them, with nearly 7% reporting feeling stressed most of the time.

We would like to invite you to view the RID website and consider taking part in the trial, if you feel that the trial may be able to provide you with some helpful information to improve your mental health and overall well-being. We welcome receiving your feedback on the RID website and hope to hear from you.

Best wishes
The RID Team

RID via Practitioners and Volunteer groups in Otago

19 March 2009

Earlier this month in collaboration with the Departments of General Practice and Women's and Children's Health at the Dunedin School of Medicine, we presented an overview of the RID trial to about 25 general practitioners, trainee interns, and mental health practitioners based in Dunedin to let them know that if they thought it was appropriate, we would like them to refer their clients to try the RID programmes.

The practitioners participated in a continuing medical education (CME) evening which addressed the topic "GPs dealing with violence and abuse issues." As we well know one of the major consequences of experiencing violence or abuse is poor mental health and in particular, depression, anxiety and other common mental health problems. We wish to take this opportunity to thank the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners for alerting their members to the RID trial in the November issue of ePulse, 2008.

We also appreciate the initiative of our colleagues from the New Zealand Association of Counsellors who have included a news item on the trial in the association's March newsletter. We hope that counsellors around the country will consider using the RID online programmes for the benefit of their clients.

Volunteering Otago, a non-profit organisation which helps people to undertake volunteer work for their community, working within the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi with a commitment to social justice and social participation, reported on the RID trial in their March/April 2009 newsletter. We thank them for helping their local community in this way and hope that people in Otago who are experiencing depression and related problems will be encouraged to access the RID website for information and support and if they wish to, enrol for the trial.

Best wishes
The RID Team

RID at the Doctors' Waiting Rooms

10 February 2009

Towards the end of January, in response to our request, Health TV created an advertisement to encourage participation in the RID trial via its TV network based in almost 200 doctors' waiting rooms and hospitals across New Zealand. To date, based on many of our participants' responses, we are encouraged to note this advertising on Health TV has been effective in generating interest and participation in the trial. People who wish to take part in the trial may also like to discuss their intention with their doctor or primary care health provider before formally applying for the trial on the RID website. We take this opportunity to acknowledge the creative and good work of our colleagues at Health TV and encourage you to consider their services if you have similar communication requirements.

We have also created a new "postcard" for the trial this year, which you may wish to make available in your organisation or send to your networks. If you would like to have copies posted to your organisation, please email us.

Best wishes
The RID Team

Welcome to 2009

5 February 2009

We wish to welcome all our participants and site visitors to 2009 and hope that you have had a relaxing and pleasant holiday.

As we expected fewer people enrolled for the trial during the holiday period than at other times of the past year. However, it was encouraging to note that some participants who contacted us reported that they had considered making a fresh start in the New Year and wished to address their mental health by taking part in the trial as one of many options available to them.

The trial was reported in the January issue of the New Zealand Reader's Digest in an article on the potential benefits of online therapy for common mental disorders. Many of our participants who enrolled during January heard about the trial from this magazine. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the editorial staff at Reader's Digest for taking the initiative and reporting on this topic.

We also wish to thank Charlie Saunders, Editor of Childbirth Educators New Zealand (CENZ) for his initiative to report on the trial in the CENZ January E-Newsletter.

We are about halfway towards meeting our target numbers for enrolment and will keep the enrolment phase of the trial open for another couple of months until we achieve the target number of participants for the trial.

Please do contact us if you are interested in the trial and/or taking part in it.

We would also welcome receiving contact details for additional sources of support and information to add to the RID trial website and you can email this information to us.

We look forward to contining our relationships with our participants and colleagues from last year and welcoming new participants and colleagues this year to the trial.

Best wishes
The RID Team

Season's Greetings

13 December 2008

Pohutukawa flower Season's Greetings

We wish all our participants, colleagues and site visitors a happy, safe and healthy festive and holiday season and all the very best for the New Year.

Many thanks for your commitment to and support of the RID trial and we look forward to continuing our relationships and developing new ones in 2009.

Best wishes
The RID Team

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

3 December 2008

Today is International Day of Persons with Disabilities and we wish to highlight the role that mental health plays in disability. Research findings highlight that depression is one of the most commonly occuring conditions linked with disability. Depression is treatable and currently there are many effective treatments that are available. Reducing the occurrence of depression can help to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.

Not everyone with a disability will experience depression, however certain life experiences are more common among people with disabilities than those without disabilities in our communities. Challenges to health, employment, mobility, and accessibility to list just a few that are faced by people with disabilities in our communities may place them at a high risk for depression. We should also note that not all disabilities are visible and obvious and therefore we should also be aware of disabling conditions related to for example, chronic pain which may place people at higher risk to experience depression and related mental health problems.

We invite members of our communities who have a disability and are feeling low to consider taking part in the RID trial. To our colleagues who work with and advocate for people with disabilities, we encourage you to have a look at the RID trial site and recommend the RID trial to your clients if you think it might be appropriate for them.

Please remember that the RID site has a list of a number of services and organisations that provide advice and support on mental health matters.

Best wishes,
The RID Team

White Ribbon Day & general practitioners' role in RID

25 November 2008

Today is White Ribbon Day to show that we do not condone violence against women. Most violence against women in New Zealand occurs in the home and it is estimated that about 1 in every three women will experience such violence in their lifetime. One of the serious consequences of violence is poor mental health including depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders and for some self-harm and suicidal behaviours.

If you or someone you know is experiencing violence, we would like to encourage you to seek help and support from your doctor and/or support agencies in your community. A list of relevant agencies can be found on the RID site including those for family violence in the Otago region.

We invite our general practitioner colleagues (GP) across the country to join us in addressing depression as described in a recent article on RID in NZ Doctor and would like to thank Amanda Cameron and Jodi Yeats from NZ Doctor for their initiative on reporting on the RID trial and the role it can play via GPs for reducing depression in our communities. You can view a poster display in the foyer of Dunedin Hospital this week on a complementary and preliminary online intervention study we have recently commenced with doctors, trainee interns and community organisations to prevent family violence in Dunedin.

Therefore we invite you to consider enrolling for the RID trial as we still have a number of places available for participants and will be keeping the enrolment process open well into the New Year.

We thank the hundreds of participants so far who have enrolled and completed the online RID programmes and assessments and colleagues and organisations around New Zealand who have kindly distributed information on RID to the wider community.

Best wishes,
The RID Team

Blind Appeal Week October 28 to November 3

29 October 2008

This week is Blind Appeal Week to raise funds to make a positive difference to the lives of thousands of New Zealanders who are blind, deafblind or vision impaired. It is also a time to consider ways of improving our well-being.

We invite you to consider taking part in the RID trial, which is a self-help online tool designed to improve your well-being.

The trial site and format of the online surveys have been designed for people with a vision impairment and those who use adaptive technology. We are very grateful for the comments we have received to date from our vision impaired participants who have provided valuable feedback to improve the RID trial site.

If you are interested in taking part in the RID trial, please access the Information Sheet and online application form and then consider enrolling for the trial. If for any reason you do not receive an email message from us to acknowledge your application, please send us an email.

Best wishes,
The RID Team

Mental Health Awareness Week October 6-12

9 October 2008

This week is mental health awareness week and the theme is making mental health a global priority.

Everyone in our communities is encouraged to think about ways of making this happen. Full information on events and activities for this week can be found on the Mental Health Foundation's web site.

We are making good progress on the RID trial and continuing to receive applications from people around the country. In the past month Auckland continued to lead the way in terms of the total number of people completing the preliminary questions for the online application, while Otago participants led in terms of the number of completed enrolments.

We welcome more people to consider enrolling for the trial by completing the online application form on this web site. Our thanks to everyone who has been supportive of the trial to date.

A summary of what is involved in the trial is available under Trial Information on this web site. It includes a diagram on the stages or steps of the trial.

Copies of a poster and pamphlet can also be viewed on this site and downloaded for your interest or to distribute to others. If you would like copies sent to you please email us.

Let us make a start on World Mental Health Day on Friday 10 October to work together to make mental health a priority for everyone in our communities.

Best wishes,
The RID Team

RID poster display at Dunedin Hospital 15/9/08-21/9/08

17 September 2008

A poster display on the trial can be viewed in the foyer of the ground floor at Dunedin Hospital all week. If you are interested we invite you to view the display and pick up a pamphlet on the trial.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who attended the public forum we held on the trial in the Dunedin City Library on 10/9/08, which also marked World Suicide Prevention Day. Your feedback and kind offers to assist us with promoting the trial are much appreciated. We also thank the library staff for their cooperation and assistance with organising the forum.

Enrolments are continuing and we look forward to being able to include everyone who is interested in taking part in the trial.

Best wishes,
The RID Team

An invitation to afternoon tea in Dunedin, 10/9/08

8 September 2008

The RID Team would like to invite people who are interested in the RID trial to come for afternoon tea at the Dunedin City Library, 4th floor, on Wednesday 10 September between 2.30 pm and 4.00 pm for an informal discussion and poster display on RID. Please RSVP to rid@ipru.otago.ac.nz by the morning of 10 September for catering purposes.

Wednesday (10th September) is World Suicide Prevention Day and SPINZ (Suicide Prevention Information New Zealand) is hosting a series of seminars this week on the role of the media in suicide prevention. For more information please see their web site.

Best wishes,
The RID Team

Auckland leads the way, tips for enrolment, free internet access for RID

29 August 2008

There were over 17,000 hits and in excess of 2,200 visitors to the RID site in August, which broke the record that was set for July.

Our sincere thanks to over 500 people from around New Zealand and overseas who have completed the first set of questions on the RID trial site in recent months as part of the application process.

Enrolments are going well and, at present, most participants are able to access their program within a week of finding out they have been accepted for the trial.

Auckland is leading the way in terms of the highest number of people participating in August, followed by Otago and Wellington.

A few people have experienced problems trying to access their program. We think this has mainly been because JavaScript and Cookies were not enabled on their computers. Flash 4.0 as a plugin is required to view graphics. If accepted into the trial, these settings need to be activated on computers that are used to login to the online programs.

Free internet access is available through some public libraries in New Zealand, which are part of the Aotearoa People’s Network providing “free access to internet services in public libraries so that all New Zealanders can benefit from creating, accessing and experiencing digital content.” We thank our librarian colleagues for bringing this to our attention and for conveying information on RID to the general public via library notice boards during New Zealand’s Library Week this month.

The number of web sites which have included information on the trial continues to increase and we are pleased to acknowledge the support that we have received from the Ministry of Health’s “The Lowdown” Team and Auckland Webhealth and their regional associates. We also wish to acknowledge the support of Federated Farmers and Women’s Rural Health and FarmChat for conveying RID to their networks via e-newsletters. Several community groups have also received an email from us and we thank them for their consideration and support of the trial.

If you wish to contact us regarding the trial and/or receive an electronic information pack of a poster and pamphlet, please email us.

Please remember that the RID site has a list of a number of services and organisations that provide advice and support on mental health matters.

Best wishes,
The RID Team

RID progress since July media release

8 August 2008

There were over 15,000 hits and in excess of 2000 visitors to the RID site in the past month. A good number of people from New Zealand also enrolled for the trial and some have already received access to their online programmes and exercises.

The media release we issued about the trial on Thursday 17 July has generated a great deal of interest in the trial. TV and radio interviews with the Principal Investigator for the trial were aired on Channel 9 in Otago and NewsTalk ZB.

We were advised that a number of web sites have included information on the trial, such as TV3 News, the Mental Health Foundation’s Out of the Blue depression awareness campaign web site, and Everybody.co.nz. Regional web sites such as Community Waitakere also promoted the trial and some regional newspapers including The Star in Dunedin. A number of participants reported reading about the trial in the August 2 issue of the Listener. Several organisations around the country have also received an email request from us to circulate information on the trial.

Our colleagues around the country have also been very supportive by circulating email messages on the trial to their respective networks. In this regard we are appreciative of efforts of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social Development and the Aotearoa Ethnic Network.

With exposure to RID via mass media being very much in the local Otago region, the highest number of people applying to join the trial in the past month were from Otago, followed by Auckland and Wellington. About 1 in 2 people who completed screening questions on the RID web site were from North Island regions. There were similar proportions from all age groups up to 60 years. About a quarter of the enrolled participants were men. A number of people who completed enrolment in the past month were from different ethnic groups. One in 4 participants reported living in a rural or remote area. Most people reported finding out about the trial from the RID web site/other web site, a magazine, community newspapers, radio, or through email.

We would like to thank all mass media, organisations and our colleagues who have helped us to promote the RID trial to date.

We invite many more people across New Zealand to access the RID site and consider completing a preliminary set of questions to determine their eligibility for the trial. We would like to have at least 700 volunteers to be fully enrolled in the next few months.

If you wish to contact us regarding the trial, please email us.

Please remember that the RID site has a list of a number of services and organisations that provide advice and support on mental health matters.

Best wishes,
The RID Team

Internet-based self-help to reduce depression expands

17 July 2008

The trial of a web-based self-help programme, Recovery via the Internet from Depression (RID), has been successfully launched and at least 700 people are now needed to join a trial testing on-line self-help programmes.

It is hoped that the RID programme will encourage people in New Zealand experiencing emotional distress to help themselves improve their well-being.

The RID trial, led by the University of Otago's Injury Prevention Research Unit is based around a proven programme, which includes on-line cognitive behaviour therapy.

The research group would now like to invite people from around the country to consider taking part in a free trial of on-line self-help programme and surveys. By doing so people can not only help themselves, but also contribute to a better understanding of ways to improve the well-being of their communities.

Lead researcher Dr Shyamala Nada-Raja says about half of those experiencing emotional distress do not come to the attention of a health professional and the RID trial is targeting this group.

"With an on-line programme like RID, people can access the programmes from the comfort of their homes and work through them at their own pace and potentially benefit from them.

"Without programmes like RID, it is possible that this 50 per cent of people will not receive any help from health or related services and may remain untreated and forgotten. A benefit of RID is that it could provide a positive and non-threatening experience that allows participants to work through interactive types of web exercises that could be helpful to them," says Dr Nada-Raja.

The on-line exercises are designed to help people manage depression and related problems. RID trial participants are asked to answer questions online about their recent moods and feelings.

"Our aim is for more people, who are experiencing emotional distress, to learn about different ways they could help themselves. The RID programme may encourage people to seek professional help to improve their situation. It may also help people overcome negative thought patterns and turn them into more positive ways of dealing with life stressors," says Dr Nada-Raja.

The programme has been proven to work in Australia; and the next phase of the trial here will measure if this also applies in New Zealand. The Ministry of Health has recently become a co-funder of the trial along with major funders the Health Research Council of New Zealand and the Accident Compensation Corporation.

Best wishes,
The RID Team

Online exercises underway, enrol now

30 June 2008

We are pleased to announce that the first groups of participants have started the online exercises and assessments for the trial.

If interested in taking part, please click "Take Part in the Trial" on the left hand side of your computer screen to access the online application.

The Ministry of Health has also recently become a co-funder of the RID trial and we thank them for their support.

We would like to thank all of you for your patience while waiting for the trial interventions to become available online.

From now on, we anticipate that people who are accepted into the trial should be able to start their programs and assessments within two weeks of applying to join the trial.

If you wish to contact us regarding the trial, please email us at rid@ipru.otago.ac.nz.

Please remember that the RID site has a list of a number of services and organisations that provide advice and support on mental health matters.

Best wishes,
The RID Team

Nau mai, haere mai, Nga mihi nui koutou

23 April 2008

Welcome to the RID Trial and thank you to everyone for their help so far.

Research has shown that a considerable number of Māori members in our communities suffer from depression and its effects. However, Māori appear to be less likely than others to seek professional help or take part in trials that test self-help programmes.

We would especially like to invite and encourage Māori to consider taking part in the RID trial. Please feel free to pass the site details to your friends and family who might be interested in taking part. (You can do this by clicking on the link on the left-hand side of the home page).

We hope findings from this trial will provide some helpful ways for managing depression.

As this trial is web-based, people are able to take part in the privacy of their own homes and work through the programmes at their own pace.

We would like to assure everyone that the information they provide is kept strictly confidential.

If you would like further information about this trial, please read the information on our web site or contact us.

Please remember that the RID site has a list of a number of services and organisations that provide advice and support on mental health matters.

No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa
The RID Team

RID welcomes all tertiary students

19 March 2008

We extend a special welcome to all new and returning University students. Most of you would have completed your course approval by now and will be getting used to your study timetables and student life.

We would like to invite you to visit our web site and read about a large NZ trial we are conducting to find out if internet-based therapy can help reduce depression, anxiety, alcohol use and related problems.

We are now taking enrolments for the RID trial and will probably keep taking enrolments into the autumn. If you are interested, please go to the menu on the left hand side of the RID site and access the “take part in trial” section. As we are taking participants through the trial in groups, we will keep the enrolment process open for some time. We hope to have the online interventions ready for your use by mid April this year. We need at least 700 people from all parts of New Zealand to take part, so do feel free to pass on this information to your family and friends.

Please remember that the RID site has a list of a number of services and organisations that provide advice and support on mental health matters. We have now updated this to include student health services at each New Zealand University.

With best wishes for the Easter break.
The RID Team

Trial starts soon

11 February 2008

Happy New Year!

We hope that you enjoyed the festive season and the holidays.

We expect that the RID trial will be available in the next month or so. Those of you who have already been accepted into the trial will be sent an email in the next few weeks letting you know what to do next.

We are still taking enrolments for the RID trial and, due to the amount of interest in the trial, will be taking enrolments into the autumn. So please do not worry if you have not yet enrolled as we will be allowing participants into the trial in groups.

We would like to thank our colleagues from the Australian National University who have been visiting us for the last few days for all their hard work.

Please remember that the RID site has a list of a number of services and organisations that provide advice and support on mental health matters.

Best wishes,
The RID Team

Enrolments for the RID trial underway

17 December 2007

We opened the enrolment process on 12 November and we have been very pleased with the response that we have received to date.

You may be interested to know that the highest number of applications have come from the Southern regions, led by Otago, Canterbury, Nelson-Marlborough, West Coast, and Southland. The top northern regions so far are: Wellington, Hawkes Bay, Taranaki, Wanganui, East Cape and Waikato.

Because of the level of interest in the trial, we have decided to continue taking enrolments well into the New Year. Towards the end of January we hope to be able to let you know of the next steps in the trial process, so please visit the RID home page around that time.

Our holiday period commences on 21 December 2007 and ends on 6 January 2008. If you have any questions regarding the enrolment process please email us at ridauto@ipru.otago.ac.nz and we will try to reply as soon as we are able to.

Please remember that the RID site has a list of a number of services and organisations that provide advice and support on mental health matters.

Those of you who took part in the focus groups earlier in the year should by now have received a copy of the results of that work. If you have not, please get in touch with us at rid@ipru.otago.ac.nz and let us know.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our colleagues and collaborators, including media, who have been so supportive of the RID trial and kindly forwarded information on the trial to various groups and individuals this year.

We look forward to being in touch and working with you in the New Year.

Wishing you a happy festive season and safe and happy holidays.

Best wishes,
The RID Team

Enrolment for the RID Trial is now open nationally

12 November 2007

We are pleased to announce that we are now taking enrolments for the RID trial. You can apply to enter the trial by clicking on the tab "Take Part in the Trial," reading the Information Sheet and clicking on the button at the end which is labelled "Start the Trial."

People interested in taking part in the trial will be asked to answer a set of screening questions and complete the application process by giving informed consent to take part, which will involve signing a consent form online. We expect to let you know individually in a week or so of completing enrolment whether your eligibility has been confirmed for the trial. If you have any queries about the enrolment process please email us at our study email address given below.

We would like to thank all of you who have emailed us about the trial and asked to take part. We must also thank you for your patience while we have developed the enrolment part of the web site.

The actual trial itself will start later in the year when we have recruited enough people to take part.

Please feel free to forward our site details to other people that you think may be interested in it-there's a tab on the home page on the web site to help you do this.

If you have any questions about the trial please see the menu item "Trial Information" which has detailed information about the trial. However, if you have any queries/comments that you would like to make, please get in touch with us at rid@ipru.otago.ac.nz.

Best wishes,
The RID Team

When will the trial start?

In response to all of you who have asked when the trial will start, we are currently completing the design of the enrolment process and expect it to go live on the web site later this month. This will enable people interested in taking part in the trial to complete the questionnaires which will help us to identify who is eligible to take part.

The actual trial itself will start later in the year when we have recruited enough people to take part.

If you have any questions about the trial please see the menu item "Trial Information" which has detailed information about the trial. However, if you have any queries/comments that you would like to make, please get in touch with us at rid@ipru.otago.ac.nz.

We would like to thank those of you who took part in the usability testing recently. It was very useful to get your feedback and we have already made some of the changes that you suggested to the site. If anyone else has any comments about the site, please feel free to contact us and let us know what you think.

We would also like to thank all of you who have contacted us to date offering to take part in the trial and/or requesting more information. A special thanks to all media who conveyed information about the RID trial throughout the week of 9 September across New Zealand.

Best wishes,
The RID Team

Depression treatment goes online

Sunday 9 September 2007

RID web site launched

22 August 2007

This is the first month that the RID web site has been up and running. We have provided full information on the New Zealand trial to test the efficacy of a set of web-based self-help programmes for depression so that interested participants can consider taking part in the trial. New Zealand is ideally situated to take advantage of such interventions as about 75% of households have access to the Internet.

This is a unique opportunity to help yourself and, at the same time, help others, because if the trial is a success, the self-help programmes may be made available free of cost across New Zealand.

We would like to thank those of you who took part in the focus groups over the last few weeks. Your contributions have proved to be very insightful and helpful in preparing the materials and procedures for this trial web site.

If you have any questions about the trial please see the menu item "the trial" which has detailed information about the trial. However, if you have any queries/comments that you would like to make, please get in touch with us at rid@ipru.otago.ac.nz.

We plan to open the RID web site to enrol interested participants in a few weeks time. Please check the RID web site for news on the actual date when this will happen.

On the home page, you will see a link that will allow you to send a link to the RID site to anyone who you think may be interested in the trial.

Best wishes,
The RID Team