Advancing the psychological care of adults with MS

Summary

Reduced mental health, including stress, anxiety and depression, and functional difficulties such as fatigue and cognition issues affect many people living with MS. However, access to effective psychological treatments is often challenging.  

This research study aims to increase access to psychological care by developing, evaluating, and implementing psychological treatment programs for people with MS that can be delivered remotely. Several proof-of-concept clinical trials of this treatment approach have shown encouraging results. 

The proposed study aims to take this research to the next phase and explore the effectiveness, acceptability, and safety of this treatment approach in the real world, including when delivered via a hospital-based MS clinic. This will address current knowledge gaps and allow the development of new and effective treatments approaches for Australians with MS needing psychological care. 

Progress to Date

Dr Milena Gandy and her team continue to implement the internet-delivered psychological treatment program, the Wellbeing Neuro Course, for adults with MS living across Australia. Over the past two years, Dr Gandy and her team have managed to recruit 130 adults with MS into the trial, all who have now completed the 10-week course with optional support from a psychologist. They are continuing to collect data into 2024 and beyond to assess whether the benefits persist over time for this study.

Additionally, Dr Gandy and her team have commenced a clinical trial to implement the Wellbeing Neuro Course in-person at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney. For this trial, the team will recruit participants from the hospital’s MS clinic to complete the course in-person with a Clinical Neuropsychologist. So far, nine participants have enrolled in this study and the team will continue their recruitment efforts throughout this year.

Dr Gandy has submitted several publications in relation to this work, three of which are now In Press. 

Publications

Wu, W., Francis, H., Lucien, A., Wheeler, T. A., & Gandy, M. (2024). The Prevalence of Cognitive Impairment in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Neuropsychology review, 10.1007/s11065-024-09640-8. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-024-09640-8
Gandy, M et al., (2023). The Wellbeing Neuro Course: A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Internet-delivered Transdiagnostic Psychological Intervention for Adults with Neurological Disorders. Psychological Medicine, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291723000338 
Gandy et al., (2023). The role of psychologists in managing mental health comorbidities in adults with neurological disorders, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1080/00050067.2023.2183107

Updated 31 March 2024

Updated: 14 February, 2022

Stages of the research process

Fundamental laboratory
Research

Laboratory research that investigates scientific theories behind the possible causes, disease progression, ways to diagnose and better treat MS.

Lab to clinic timeline: 10+ years

Translational
Research

Research that builds on fundamental scientific research to develop new therapies, medical procedures or diagnostics and advances it closer to the clinic.

Lab to clinic timeline: 5+ years

Clinical Studies
and Clinical Trials

Clinical research is the culmination of fundamental and translational research turning those research discoveries into treatments and interventions for people with MS.

Lab to clinic timeline: 1-5 years