An Integrated Wellness Approach Targeted Toward Reducing Depression and Anxiety while Improving Outlook

Background:Depression affects 7% of the US population. While depression is treatable, it typically requires access to healthcare. Access to providers can take months, and Utah has lower than the national average number of providers. Plus, nearly one in five Utahns have a mental illness and half of the adults with mental illness have not received treatment Utah would have to more than double its mental health provider workforce in the coming decade to reach the national provider to patient. There is and will continue to be a gap in care for those seeking affordable and accessible mental health services. Methods:A pilot program was implemented in a severe mental illness population to reduce depressive symptoms and improve overall well-being. Uninsured participants were recruited for one month through an urban free mental health clinic. Participants completed pre- and post-intervention assessments, and the Wellness Interventions for Life's Demands (WILD 5), an evidence based 30-day program. A weekly support meeting was added to the intervention to help participants succeed and understand the program. The 30-day program encouraged participants to implement daily habits of exercise, nutrition, sleep, social connectedness, and meditation. Surveys were completed to assess for effectiveness in reducing depressive symptoms and improvement in well-being. Results:The 30-day WIlD 5 pilot program had two participants. The average age of the participants was 31 years old and both had a self-described diagnosis of anxiety that was more than five years old. Both participants completed the 30-day program and provided valuable feedback to clinic staff on recruitment, implementation, barriers and suggestions for improvement. Both participants found the weekly meetings and the overall program to be "very helpful". They did report, however, that there is moderate difficulty to implementing all the components of the intervention. The pilot program encountered several barriers to increased participation. The barriers included a limited timeframe for recruitment due to extended Internal Review Board process, small pool of acceptable applicants due to recruiting out of only one clinic, and perceived time burden for a 30-day program. Recruiting efforts were also hampered by the nature of the program - all participants started at the same time, in a cohort, and this delayed participation initiation.Conclusions:The pilot program's results indicate a potential clinical benefit for reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms while improving overall well-being. Barriers to success were identified. Furthermore, the pilot demonstrated the ability to implement a self-directed 30-day program in the severe mental illness, resource limited population. This may supply providers and patients an alternative or supplement to traditional treatment modalities.