A new treatment platform will provide digital therapy courses across all Danish municipalities and regions by 2028, offering faster access to mental health support. Region Syddanmark is developing this platform, which aims to address the growing need for diverse healthcare options.

The initiative will initially focus on patients experiencing distress, mild to moderate anxiety, and depression, offering both preventive and treatment courses. These courses will be fully digital, removing the barrier of waiting lists and providing free access to care.

The courses will incorporate exercises to increase awareness of thoughts, feelings, actions, and patterns, aiding individuals in setting goals for positive change. The content, delivered through text and video, will be adaptable to individual patient needs, with opportunities for written feedback and guidance from psychologists.

In the future, the treatment platform is planned to expand its offerings to include digital therapy courses for a wider range of mental disorders. Municipalities could potentially create specialized courses targeting issues like unrest, sleep problems, or eating disorders.

Region Syddanmark’s existing Internet Psychiatry program, a nationwide digital treatment service for adults with anxiety or depression, demonstrates the effectiveness of this approach. According to Marie Paldam Folker, Head of Department at the Center for Digital Psychiatry in Region Syddanmark, the impact of participating in an Internet Psychiatry course is comparable to traditional in-person therapy. The new treatment platform will build upon and further develop the foundation laid by Internet Psychiatry.