All young people in Australia aged 15-25 can now access free, personalised mental health support thanks to the nationwide expansion of ground-breaking digital platform MOST.
MOST offers one-on-one professional support, as well as access to peer workers, self-directed therapy and a safe, moderated social network – and anyone aged 15 and over can now download the app and sign up straight away.
Chief of Orygen Digital, Professor Mario Alvarez-Jimenez, said the expansion of MOST was filling a substantial gap in an overstretched system, where young people often struggled to find mental health support when and where they needed it.
“MOST is not just any mental health app,” Professor Alvarez-Jimenez said.
“MOST is backed by over fifteen years of research, and it’s proven to be both engaging and effective in supporting young people’s mental health.
“Making access to this life-changing app easier – allowing young people to sign themselves up and access support right away – is a huge win for all young people in Australia and testament to Orygen’s global leadership in digital mental health care.”
Over 20,000 young people have been supported by MOST since its initial launch in 2020, and following its early success the Federal Government committed $4.6 million over three years to roll out free access to all young people aged 15-25 across Australia.
MOST was co-designed with young people, mental health professionals, researchers and software developers over a period of 12 years, and is used by many clinicians and mental health services to support young people before, during or after they engage with other kinds of mental health treatment.
While a referral from a mental health professional remains a vital pathway for young people to connect with MOST’s services, new nationwide easy-access will support young people who may not be engaged with other services.
“We’re really breaking down barriers to youth mental health support,” Professor Alvarez-Jimenez said.
“We want to ensure that all young people have access to world-class mental health support in the palm of their hand – whether they live in a city or in remote Australia – and the expansion of MOST makes that possible.”
More about MOST:
- MOST users experienced a significant reduction of depression and anxiety after just 12 weeks
- Of nearly 1500 users surveyed, 93 per cent said they would recommend MOST to others
- 55 per cent of MOST users were still active at six weeks (compared to only 3 per cent using popular commercially available mental health apps)
- In addition to Federal Government support, MOST is generously supported by several state and territory and governments and PHN funders
Learn more about MOST