The information and materials on the MoodGYM web site unless otherwise stated, are copyrighted by the Centre for Mental Health Research (CMHR) at the Australian National University, and may be downloaded by registered users solely for their own personal use. Any other activity or reproduction of information and materials requires prior permission from the CMHR. In addition, the graphics, design and format of MoodGYM are the property of the CMHR and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.
MoodGYM contains links to Internet web sites operated by third parties. These linked sites are not controlled by the CMHR and the CMHR is not responsible for the contents of any of these sites. We provide these links to you as a convenience only, and the inclusion of any link does not imply any endorsement of the linked website by the CMHR. You visit any sub website at your own risk.
In addition MoodGYM contains references to information materials developed by third parties. These information materials were not developed by the CMHR and the CMHR is not responsible for the contents of the materials. We provide references for these information materials as a convenience to you only.
The information provided throughout MoodGYM is intended for information purposes only. This site is not designed to treat depression or anxiety or other mental health disorders. The diagnosis and treatment of clinical anxiety and depression requires a medical practitioner or qualified mental health professional. People seeking a diagnosis or treatment of depression, anxiety or other mental disorders should consult a medical practitioner or mental health professional. None of the information on this web site is a substitute for a diagnosis and treatment by an appropriate health professional.
MoodGYM has been shown to be effective, compared to a control condition, in decreasing symptoms of depression in a people living in the community (click here for a description of this study and its results [requires Acrobat Reader]). Participants in the study received MoodGYM and weekly telephone contacts from an interviewer whereas the control group received weekly contact with an interviewer only. Contact with the interviewer may have contributed to MoodGYM’s effectiveness by encouraging participants to complete the program. Although MoodGYM may reduce depression in some people, the Centre for Mental Health Research and its staff make no claims that MoodGYM will be helpful for every individual.
The screening tests on this web site are intended solely for the purpose of identifying the anxiety and depressive symptoms, and are not designed to provide a diagnosis. Persons under age 18 with depressive symptoms are advised to talk with their parents about getting help for depression from a qualified person.
The personality, stress and attitude scales used on the site are also intended solely to provide information. Individuals who feel stressed or depressed are advised to talk to a health professional.
The Centre for Mental Health Research and its staff shall have no liability for claims by, or damages of any kind whatsoever to, a user of this website or any other person for a decision or action taken in reliance on the information contained on this website. Such damages include, without limitation, direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages. YOUR USE OF THIS WEB SITE CONSTITUTES YOUR AGREEMENT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE DISCLAIMER.
Feedback and comments about MoodGYM should be directed to moodgym@anu.edu.au
This statement sets out the Centre for Mental Health Research policy relating to the collection and use of your personal information in the MoodGYM Version Project. This Notice is in addition to the Terms of Use. Your registration as a MoodGYM user constitutes your agreement to terms of the Privacy Notice and the Terms of Use.
Please note that this Privacy Notice applies only to the MoodGYM site and not to any other sites that are linked to the MoodGYM site or mentioned on the site.
The CMHR recognises that your privacy is very important to you and that we are under a legal obligation to protect the integrity of your personal information. When you register with MoodGYM you will be asked to enter your username. We suggest that you use a pseudonym or a made-up username.
When you enter the MoodGYM Program you will be asked to complete a number of tests and enter some information, which you may consider to be sensitive, about yourself. The program asks for this information in order to provide you with tailored, and specifically relevant information about stress, anxiety and depression. The information is stored in your workbook in the MoodGYM database along with information about the date and time you complete each exercise. Information is also collected in summary form about most frequently visited pages. This is intended to help the MoodGYM designers understand how visitors use the Program. All the information gathered is stored on the Australian National University server and is subject to stringent security measures.
The MoodGYM site uses transient or session cookies. Cookies are pieces of information that a website transfers to your computer’s hard disk when you open the MoodGYM web pages. Cookies by themselves do not identify you or any user but they do identify your browser. Because MoodGYM uses ‘transient’ cookies, your computer does not retain the information delivered in the cookie once you leave the MoodGYM site. When you close your browser the transient cookie set up by MoodGYM is destroyed, and no personal information is retained which could identify you or your browser next time you log on to MoodGYM.
Most web browsers are set up to accept cookies, and while you can set your browser to not accept cookies you will not be able to use MoodGYM if you do this.
The Centre for Mental Health Research will endeavor to take all reasonable steps to keep all information about you secure. Your information is held on a secure server that is in controlled facilities. In addition, all the staff on the MoodGYM team as well as all ANU employees and contractors that provide services related to our information systems, are obliged by law to respect the confidentiality of any personal information and/or research information held by the Centre for Mental Health Research.
You can also play an important role in keeping your personal information secure by using a made up username and by keeping your password secure.
If you have any further queries relating to our Privacy Notice, or you have a problem or a complaint, please contact us at moodgym@anu.edu.au
If you agree to these terms and wish to register as a MoodGYM user please click
or simply close the window to exit the program.