FOREST is a web-based computer game for females ages 14-19 with mild to moderate depression. Its primary goal is to reduce the negative symptoms of depression through cognitive therapy, game-based learning, and affective learning.
2. FOREST
LAURELL K. HAMILTON - MISTRAL’S KISS
“There are wounds that
never show on the body that
are deeper and more hurtful
than anything that bleeds.”
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3. FOREST
DEPRESSION - WHAT IS IT?
Chronic medical illness
Affects how you feel, think, and behave
Can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems
Causes persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest in previously
enjoyed activities
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4. FOREST
DEPRESSION - A GLOBAL HEALTH CONCERN
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The leading cause of
disability worldwide and a
major contributor to the
global burden of disease
g
The most common mental
health disorder among
adolescents aged 14 to 19,
and a major factor in suicide
w
Affects more than 350
million people worldwide, in
all communities, races, and
ethnic backgrounds
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Everyone At Every Age Everywhere
5. FOREST
DEPRESSION - WOMEN
50%
Experience Rate
Women experience depression at a
rate of 50% more than men,
regardless of race or ethnic
background (NAMI, 2009).
How Depression Affects Women
While depression affects both men and women, more
women are diagnosed with depression in any given year.
The lifetime prevalence of clinical depression in females is
1.5 to 3 times that in males, beginning at mid-puberty and
persisting through the mid-50s.
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6. FOREST
05BEAUTIFUL YOUNG WOMEN - PLAGUED
Unfortunately, if not treated properly,
depression is highly recurrent and the disabling effects are prolonged.
8. FOREST
Goals
A web-based, interactive fiction, fantasy
adventure RPG for females ages 14-19
with mild to moderate depression
Use CT skills to reduce symptoms
& boost self-esteem
Recognize & address symptoms
of depression
Learn to take charge of illness
and treatment
FOREST - FEMALES OBTAINING RATIONALITY
& ELIMINATING SAD THOUGHTS
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In order to really begin to understand depression, I think there’s one thing that everyone in this room should know, and that’s this..
- 350 million people worldwide, in all communities, races, and ethnic backgrounds
1.more women… 2. in fact… 3. the lifetime prevalence of clinical depression in females…
Adolescents rarely seek help from mental health professionals AND
the internalizing nature of females makes it more likely that they will hesitate to disclose their feelings to their parents or other adult figures.
- There ARE some computerized therapy programs out there, many with documented success, BUT
- many simply guide the user through a series of hypertext screens with limited interaction, feedback, and practice.
- With FOREST, I wanted to take a multi-channel approach and engage the whole brain by using audio, visuals, and story.
CT hinges on the assumption that feelings and behavior are largely determined by one’s automatic, negative thoughts, which are developed from previous experiences or schemas.
Affect can have a powerful effect on thinking and learning.
In Affective Learning: A Manifesto, Picard et al. (2004) raise such terms as ‘motivation’ and ‘self-efficacy,’ arguing that the two play a critical role in learning.
…people who are caught in these states do not take in information efficiently or deal with it well
Building a kind of “Affective mirror,” which is what I’ve tired to do with FOREST.
