General Public Portal

Assisting a person with the treatment of a mental health problem is a complex and time-consuming process. MY DAISY has been developed to provide a structured process supported by an integrated internet-based system that the three main players — the patient, the doctor and the psychologist and/or psychiatrist — can use during the treatment of mental health problems.

The system can assist with the following tasks: identifying mental health problems; recording information about a person’s mental health problems; assisting with diagnosis and treatment; and monitoring treatment effectiveness and progress.

Anyone who wants to assess and/or improve their mental health should use MY DAISY’s Public Portal.

Thanks to our generous Sponsors MY DAISY’s Public Portal is available free of charge.

You will be required to provide your mobile phone number as part of your Public Portal user registration. The system generates a Client Verification Code (CVC) that will be sent to you via an SMS to finalise your registration. You will not be able to register as a user if you do not have a mobile phone number or if you are not within a mobile phone reception area.

These are the benefits of using MY DAISY:

• Information related to mental health problems and their treatment (available on MY DAISY’s general information video)
• A structured process to be followed during the identification of mental health issues and their treatment
• An easy-to-follow 5 Step Plan to help in managing mental health related problems
• Assessment of your mental health condition
• An integrated communication platform for you and your health professional(s)
• A tool to monitor your mental health and track the effectiveness of treatment
• Historical records for future use

A person can follow MY DAISY’s 5 Step Plan to identify any mental health issues and to monitor progress during treatment (if it is required). These steps are:

Step 1

A person is required to confirm his or her commitment to do whatever is required during the treatment period to overcome the illness and/or issues. The patient will not be able to proceed beyond Step 1 without confirming his or her commitment.

Step 2

The person provides information related to the treatment plan (if required) and other health-related issues, such as type of medication (if prescribed), and medication side-effects, whether psychological counselling is being provided, exercise regimens and so on. This step is skipped if a person is using MY DAISY for the first time.

Step 3

The person is required to answer mental health related questions to determine his or her mental health condition.

Step 4

Based on the person’s answers in Step 3, MY DAISY provides a summary of key issues to be addressed and calculates the person’s baseline score (the MY DAISY Stopwatch reading).

Step 5

MY DAISY provides a comprehensive MY DAISY Results Report. This report shows the person’s responses to mental health questions, the Progress Tracking Dashboard (which provides information to assist in monitoring and tracking progress and improvement), the Treatment Plan, and the Mental Health Condition Graph. In Step 5 the person is encouraged to follow Steps 1 to 4 until a satisfactory outcome has been reached.

You need to complete this plan at least once to determine your mental health condition. If the information gained through this initial assessment shows you should seek professional help, you will need to complete the MY DAISY 5 Step Plan before every appointment with your health professional. To begin with, this may happen weekly. For example, if you have an appointment on Thursday at 11:00 am with your health professional, you will need to complete a 5 Step Plan at any time on Wednesday or on Thursday morning before 11:00 am. Completing a 5 Step Plan before your appointment means the most up-to-date information will be available for discussion.

As with anything new, working through MY DAISY’s 5 Step Plan will take longer to begin with, and you should allow at least 20 minutes the first time you complete the Plan. Once you have completed MY DAISY’s 5 Step Plan on a few occasions, it will probably take 5 to 10 minutes each time. Maintaining good mental health is the most important part of your life. Having poor mental health will result in negative flow-on effects on other parts of your life. Time spent on maintaining a healthy mental state is time well-spent.

MY DAISY assesses your mental health condition through your responses to a number of mental health related questions. This happens in Step 3 of MY DAISY’s 5 Step Plan, when you will be required to answer 17 mental health related questions. For each question you simply select one of four answers. Based on your answers, MY DAISY calculates a score out of 10. The lower your score, the unhealthier your mental health, and the higher your score, the healthier your mental health. Your score will fall within one of the following zones: “extreme high risk” (score of 0–4), “high risk” (score of 4.1–6), “medium risk” (score of 6.1–8), “moderate risk” (score of 8.1–9), and “normal” (score of 9.1–10). These scores are indicative only, and your mental health condition should be confirmed by a health professional.

When you answer the mental health related questions in Step 3, the questions will appear one by one at the top of your computer screen.

The first time you use MY DAISY

When you are using MY DAISY for the first time, below each question you will see two alternative answers and matching cartoon style illustrations:

• “I need help” (Answer Red)
• “I do not need any help” (Answer Green)

Carefully think about each question and consider your present situation. If you are experiencing difficulties or issues with the particular aspect mentioned in the question and are unable to deal effectively with it, you should select Answer Red, “I need help”. If you are not experiencing any difficulties or issues with that aspect, simply select Answer Green, “I do not need any help”.

Other times you use MY DAISY

When you complete other assessments in the future, Step 3 will only list the questions related to the aspects you require help with. Therefore, the next time you go to MY DAISY, only the issues that are still problems for you will be displayed. Below the question related to each issue, four possible answers and illustrations are shown:

• “I need help” (Answer Red)
• “I am receiving help” (Answer Amber)
• “I have received help and I am in control now” (Answer Yellow)
• “I do not need any help” (Answer Green)

To answer these questions, you simply click on the “Select” button of the answer that matches your situation.

Generally, a user begins by clicking “I need help” and then progresses to a stage where he or she receives help with a particular aspect. In this instance the user will select “I am receiving help” when completing the follow-up Step 3 assessment. When all issues or difficulties are resolved, he or she will then select “I have received help and I am in control now”. In this way the user indicates progress in dealing with a particular aspect. Step 3 is completed when all questions have been answered.

If you are diagnosed with a mental health problem, you need to take control of your situation, with the help of professionals, to get the problem under control so that you can enjoy a normal life. It is not the responsibility of your support team (i.e. your doctor, psychologist, family, friends and others).

For example, if an athlete is struggling to improve his performance, he acknowledges he needs help, takes control of the situation and appoints a training coach. The coach then assesses the athlete’s current situation and recommends a training plan. To assess the training plan’s effectiveness, the coach measures the athlete’s times with a stopwatch and records the data. If there is improvement, this means the plan is effective. If there is little or no improvement, the plan needs adjusting. The coach and the athlete continue to work together until the desired outcome has been reached.

A similar approach is required from you to improve your mental health. You need to take control, acknowledge there is a problem and seek help. In this case your health professional becomes your “coach”. Your health professional needs data to determine what action is required to improve your mental health, and this information is used to develop your treatment plan. The MY DAISY system will help you and your health professional during this phase.

After being diagnosed with a mental health problem you should do the following:

• Take control of your situation
• Use MY DAISY’s Public Portal as a support system
• Consult a health professional
• Work together with your health professional until the desired outcome is reached

Your results are displayed in your Results Report. A link to this report will be provided in Step 5 of MY DAISY’s 5 Step Plan. You will also be able to access any previous Results Reports, available by clicking the “PDF” tab on the home page.

The Results Report consists of four pages. Page 1 shows MY DAISY’s Step 3 questions and your answers. On this page, all the mental health aspects for which you selected “I need help” are grouped together. The same applies for the aspects related to the “I am receiving help” answers and the “I have received help and I am in control now” answers. This information will enable you and your health professional to focus on the aspects for which you need assistance, the aspects currently being addressed and the aspects which are now under control. Page 2 of the report is your Progress Tracking Dashboard, which shows your answers to Step 3 Questions on the dates when the 5 Step Plan was completed. Page 3 shows your Treatment Plan, and page 4 has a graph to show whether or not you have improved.

MY DAISY provides an integrated communication platform for all parties involved during the treatment of mental health. The Health Professionals’ Portal allows your health professional to access your Results Report online (with your permission). If your health professional is not a user of MY DAISY, it is in your interests to encourage him or her to register.

If your health professional is not a user of MY DAISY, you may wish to take a copy of your Results Report to your consultation.

To help in assessment and discussion, a tab called “MY DAISY” shows a visual image summarising your responses to the mental health questions. For this purpose, an image of a daisy flower is used. Your “Daisy Image” is accessible under the “MY DAISY” tab after you have logged on to the system.

The daisy image has 17 petals representing the 17 mental health questions in Step 3 of the 5 Step Plan. Your daisy and the colours noted on the petals represent your responses to the 17 questions. This allows you to undertake a quick visual assessment of your responses compared with an ideal daisy (also shown on the same tab) so that you can identify the critical aspects to address. Your daisy and the petal colours is always based on your latest responses to questions, and therefore indicates the current position. Ideally, there should be no Red (“I need help”) or Amber (“I am receiving help”) petals and a minimum number of Yellow petals (“I have received help and I am in control now”). The ideal petal colour is Green (“I do not need any help”).

Clicking on each of your daisy’s petals will show a pop-up box, a description of your situation related to the mental health aspect, and a description of the ideal situation. The aim of the team is to work towards reaching the ideal situation.

A tab called “Results and Notes” has been provided to display your response to the Step 3 questions. This tab also includes an “Add Diary Note” function. By clicking this drop-down button, you can enter a diary note. If you have selected answers “I need help” or “I am receiving help”, you can note any issues associated with the specific mental health aspects that need to be addressed. Your health professional can access these notes, and these can become the focus for discussion during the following consultation. You can make as many diary notes as you wish, and the latest note will always appear at the top. This process will encourage you to consider your issues, think about them and write about them. As we know, this is a useful tool in mental health treatment.

Before a health professional can access your records, you will need to provide your Client Verification Code (CVC). No one will be able to access your data without this code. By providing this code to your health professional, you give him or her permission to access your information. This code is then entered by the health professional into the MY DAISY system. If it matches your records, he or she can access your information. When this happens you will receive an email message with the details of the health professional who accessed your records.

Through the Health Professionals’ Portal, your health professional can send you an SMS with your CVC, but you will need to have your mobile phone with you to receive this code. Alternatively, you can find this code by clicking the “Update Personal Information” button.

The CVC is only entered once when the health professional accesses your information for the first time. It is not needed for follow-up meetings.

You can revoke and reinstate your health professional’s access to your information at any time by clicking the “Update Personal Information” button (after you have logged on to the system). Click on the “Your Health Professionals” tab, and a list is provided of all the health professionals who are authorised to access your records. Click on the relevant health professional in the list to revoke or allow access.