Press message

Fifteen minutes of online self-help per day reduces stress by 77% after only one month. This was shown from the first results from the research project "15Minutes4Me.com", under supervision of Paul Koeck, MD. Also, contentment with life increased by the participants who participated in the eponymous online self-help program by 40% after three weeks. Three years ago, Antwerp doctor Paul Koeck started a scientific study regarding the question: "How can we help millions of people to reduce their stress and increase their happiness in less than fifteen minutes per day?" He put together an international team of doctors, psychologists, and scientists, and analyzed their 'expert strategies' or 'best practices' in curing patients with stress-bound disorders such as stress, anxiety, depression, burnout, hyperventilation, panic disorders, phobias, and addictions. The most efficient and effective interventions and techniques from the medical-psychological science were put in the form of a software model and tested for their usefulness for three years, in the shape of the online self-help program www.15minutes4me.com. On a daily basis the results were analyzed and the techniques improved until they had an optimal effect. After three years of research, Paul Koeck, MD, proposed the first results from the research project "15Minutes4Me.com": Fifteen minutes of online self-help per day reduces your stress by 77% on average. After one week, the participants of the online research project experienced a stress reduction of 27%, after two weeks this has reduced by 37%, and after three weeks by 54%. After five weeks, the average stress reduction is 77%. Furthermore, it seemed that 15 minutes of daily, choice based online self-help was enough to improve life happiness by 42% after three weeks. After one week, this number was 15% already. Choice based self-help helps people to gain insight in which solutions work for them and which ones do not. The computer program guides them in this self-reflection, causing them to make better decisions and to take a step toward a happier life. Every week, the program measures your improvements via an objective stress test. You overcome tension, depression, and stress from home. Just fifteen minutes per day of online self-help reduces stress by 77% after one month. Paul Koeck, MD, is very enthusiastic about the results: "Who would have known that Flemish research would be the first to show that online self-help has the same efficiency as - and sometimes even is better than - traditional psychotherapy?" .

More information for the press:

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Average stress reduction during participation to the self-help program '15 Minutes 4 Me'

Gemiddelde wekelijkse stressafname bij deelnemers zelfhulpprogramma Mijn Kwartier .

Average stress reduction in our participants compared to their starting stress

After 1 week, the stress reduces by one-fourth or 27% compared to their initial stress. After 2 weeks, the stress reduces by over one-third or 37% up to 63% compared to initial stress. After 3 weeks, the stress reduces by over half or 54% up to 46% compared to their starting stressAfter 5 weeks, the stress reduces by over two-thirds or 77% to 23% of the start. .

Increasing life contentment

Stijging levenstevredenheid tijdens zelfhulpprogramma

In 1 week the average life contentment increases by 17% to 117% from initial measurements. In 2 weeks, the life contentment increases by a third or 33% to 133% of initial measurements. In 3 weeks the average life contentment increases by 40% to 140% of the original. (The baseline is the average life contentment at the start of the program) This study is based on the results which participants came to by following the online self-help program. If you want to read more information about the online self-help program, then click here. (Dutch) .

The free stress test

In case you want to take the free stress test with which we measure and follow-up our results, then click here.

The press message as word document

Download the entire press message as a word document with text and all graphs (Dutch). Read the article in the Flemish Artsenkrant here about this study! (Dutch) The magazine Psyche and Brain followed the program for 1 month and describes how they found the program! (Dutch)

TV Interview with Paul Koeck, MD, about online self-help

Press picture

Download press picture in high resolution Dr Paul Koeck - Onderzoeksproject MijnKwartier.be