webqem blog

To advance we must understand. A challenging declaration but very appropriate when dealing with mental health issues in Australia.

One in four people will suffer from some form of mental illness in their lifetime. At the same time, it is fair to say that no other medical condition is surrounded by so much stigma, misunderstanding and ignorance.

One organisation that is tackling the issues head-on is the Black Dog Institute, a body that is dedicated to advancing the understanding of mood disorders in order to improve the lives of those affected, and, in turn, the lives of their families and friends.

At the end of March 2004, the Institute launched its first website with the help of the team at webqem.

The goal was to develop a practical user friendly as well as a “living and breathing” website on depression and mood disorders for consumers and health professionals.

The Institute was able to hit the ground running. Twenty years of research and clinical experience – firstly as the Mood Disorders Unit – enabled the Black Dog Institute to quickly be recognised as a trusted website.

The Institute quickly demonstrated it has expert information and was able to provide this in a helpful and not in an overly academic language.

In the first month following the launch of the website (April 2004), there were just over 31,000 hits. The popularity of the site has soared. In October 2005, the website recorded in excess of 91,000 hits, giving it the status of one of the busiest sites in its field.

The website was firstly developed with an eye on the needs of the general public – with lots of easily understood and readily accessible information on depression and Bipolar Disorder. The second stage will shift focus to provide a valuable resource for clinicians, researchers and other health professionals.

Some of the more popular site pages include the self-test for Bipolar Disorder, a Temperament and Personality Test to give people feedback on their personality style and whether it might predisdispose them to developing non-melancholic depression.

The Institute has an expert base of clinicians, doctors and university academics that contribute to the content of the website. This certainly justifies being able to call it a living and breathing website. All of this information obtained from clinical practice and the research findings are made available to help the education of the community at large.

The Media also use the website as a valuable resource. The announcements on major research and other initiatives to improve understanding, diagnosis and treatment of depression and disorder are all shown on the News Release and Media Clips pages of the Website.

The Institute plans further expansion of its web activities over the coming months, including new information focusing on perinatal mental health and on-line educational resources for the general community.