BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- There's a new treatment option for people with mild depression, anxiety or stress. Patients don't even need to leave their home to get the help.
Called Beating the Blues, it's online cognitive behavior therapy offered by HealthPartners.
Jill Marthalar, a behavioral health case manager, has recommended the program to patients who she works with over the phone. She calls it an amazing tool.
"A lot of times I talk with people who don't have the time to go in and meet with someone face to face or they have privacy concerns," she said.
In eight sessions that last about 50 minutes each, Beating the Blues gives people insight into how they react in a variety of situations and then helps them change self-talk from negative to positive.
"There's a lot of science showing that what we think has a big impact on how we feel emotionally. So this makes the connection to help people understand that their negative self-talk can drive difficult moods like sadness or anxiety," said Psychologist Karen Lloyd, Senior Director of Behavioral Health and Resilience for HealthPartners.
Lloyd said eight of 10 people with symptoms of clinical depression are not seeking help.
Beating the Blues, while new to Minnesota and the Midwest, has shown over a decade of success in England. Lloyd said similar programs have also been used in other countries for years.
Lead Depression Care Manager Mary Lichtor said she uses the program with her patients as a supplement between meetings.
"They have their skills they can practice. And for a depressed person, it's really a, 'Yay me!' moment when they have those skills they've developed and they've worked on," Lichtor said.
Beating the Blues fills a gap by changing self-talk, treating depression at home.
The program is currently offered free-of-charge to HealthPartners insurance members and patients at HealthPartners and Park Nicollet clinics.
