ICare

Over the past decade, the research base for Internet-based interventions in the prevention and treatment of mental disorders has grown rapidly. Nevertheless, many European countries (e.g., Germany, Austria, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Spain) have not yet implemented these promising approaches in their health care systems. Individuals with risk predisposition or distinct mental disorders who are interested in online interventions often do not have adequate access to evidence-based online interventions.

The goal of the ICare project is to provide a rich model of health promotion, risk identification, disease prevention, and treatment facilitation for the most common health problems and mental disorders (depression, anxiety disorders, adjustment disorder, eating disorders/weight control, and substance abuse) to help individuals and professionals select and use online interventions. To achieve this goal, participating project partners are bringing together more than 30 evidence-based online interventions, ranging from general to targeted prevention, from self-help to treatment for the relevant disorder, applied to children, adolescents, and adults. According to a stakeholder survey, the model will be integrated into existing healthcare and other settings in Germany, the UK, Switzerland, Austria and Spain, via

1. Developing a valid and economical online screening tool for assigning individuals to interventions
2. Developing the technology for a common e-health intervention platform
3. Development of implementation plans
4. Implementation of evidence-based interventions in health care settings
5. Evaluation and comparison of feasibility, acceptability, coverage, effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, adaptation, and publication including facilitators of the intervention.

The ICare project also aims to implement their interventions into healthcare and collaborate with healthcare providers across different EU countries.

The Swiss Institute for Addiction and Health Research is mainly in charge of work package 4 (resilience promotion in first-year students) and 5 (indicated prevention of depression and anxiety disorders).