Thrive, a Computerized Cognitive Behavior Therapy Program to Treat Depression

Montana ranks high among states on mental health disorder prevalence and low on access to mental health care. It has the highest suicide rate in the nation. Of Montana's 56 counties, 10 are classified as rural and 45 as frontier, accentuating distance challenges in accessing care. New treatment delivery modalities are needed to complement, supplement and augment traditional mental health care. With increase in access to the Internet, computer-administered Cognitive Behavior Therapy (cCBT) programs have emerged as viable approaches to effective treatment of depression. Thrive is an interactive cCBT program with a heavy emphasis on video rather than text content that appears to improve participant engagement, a shortcoming seen in prior cCBT programs. The goal of this project is to conduct a randomized wait-list controlled of Thrive to determine its effectiveness in reducing depressive symptom severity among Montanans, many of whom have few or no other options for mental health treatment.