MOST builds on more than 12 years of research, clinical expertise and digital innovation and recognises that digital technology is part of the future of youth mental health care.
It meets young people where they're at. Technology is an integral part of their lives and it presents opportunities to connect, engage and support young people who are experiencing mental ill-health.
MOST has been designed with reliable, evidence-based resources and online support to help young people navigate their mental health challenges safely, without judgement, and on their own terms.
It's been adapted and enhanced based on feedback from young people and on usage data to ensure it stays relevant to their daily lives.
Trials have demonstrated that using MOST in treatment plans can*:
- reduce visits to emergency services and relapse rates
- improve vocational outcomes and social connection
- improve support for clinicians to engage young people before, between and after their sessions
- provide greater access for young people to high-quality, engaging, and evidence-based support when they step away from care.
Four large randomised control trials, 7 major clinical trials and 15 pilot studies have shown MOST to be safe, effective and engaging for young people at all stages of treatment, and across diagnostic and severity spectrums.
In a foundation study, 170 young people used MOST while recovering from first episode psychosis. The Horyzons study, which MOST has been developed from, found those using the online therapy had a five-and-a-half times greater increase in their likelihood of finding employment or enrolling in education compared to those receiving treatment as usual.
They were also 50 per cent less likely to visit emergency departments or be admitted to hospital.
Awards
MOST has been recognised for its contribution to addressing ill-mental health in Australia, and for the technology and graphic design behind it.
In 2022, Orygen Digital won a Technology Innovator of the Year award at the ConnectingUp, Infoxchange Group not-for-profit technology awards.
Also in 2022, Professor Mario Alvarez-Jimenez was recognised with a prestigious Tom Trauer Evaluation and Research Award at the Mental Health Service Awards of Australia and New Zealand for his substantial contribution to transforming youth mental health through digital technology, which includes MOST.
In 2021, MOST won TheMHS’s Mental Health Service award for excellence, innovation and best practice in therapeutic and clinical services.
There’s one more accolade for MOST : Studio MASS, the agency that co-created MOST’s new brand, won a 2023 Better Future Australian Design Award for their work with us.
The new look, which was applied to the MOST platform and supporting collateral late in 2022, has helped visually connect MOST’s 5,000+ users to a space that’s safe, engaging and welcoming.
As Studio MASS says in their application: “We are proud of the outcome; a brand that appeals to young people, that breaks through the barriers of mental health stigma, tames negative perceptions around seeking help and engages people in a meaningful way.
"The involvement of young people in the design process helped to shape a youth-informed brand. By giving young people a sense of agency in the process, the project has produced a resource that is current, trusted, understood and, most importantly, accessible."
You can see their work applied to the latest MOST brochure for young people here.
* Based on the Horyzons study - see more here.