WILD 5 Wellness – Results of a 90-day, Self-Directed Wellness Program in Individuals With a DSM-5 Diagnosis and Receiving Psychotropic Medications

27 adults were recruited from clinical practices and online resources, all providing informed consent to participate in this 90-day study. WILD 5 Wellness Program consists of 90-day manualized intervention including activities focusing on exercise, mindfulness, sleep hygiene, improved social connectedness, and improved nutrition. Participants completed multiple scales before the study started and at the end of 90-days. The results were analyzed using the StatPlus statistical software package. Repeat measure and within subjects ANOVA was utilized to assess for clinical significance.

RESULTS: Psychiatric Symptoms: At the end of the 90-day intervention, the mean PHQ-9 scores (a marker for depressive symptom severity) for the 27 individuals decreased from 10.2 to 5.2 (p=.00002), revealing a 49% improvement in depressive symptom severity. The Mean GAD-7 scores (a marker of anxiety) decreased from 7.5 to 4.2 (p=0.0005), with a 44% improvement in anxiety symptoms. Sleep Condition Indicator (SCI) is a scale for sleep disturbances, and it improved by 55% at the end of the 90-day intervention in these 27 program completers.

Disability and Wellness Markers: (SDS) is a well-known, widely accepted scale for the measurement of disability in psychiatrically ill patients. The SDS scores changed from 11.4 to 5.9 mean (p<0.001) demonstrating a 48% improvement in disability.  Wellness was measured utilizing a novel scale called HERO Wellness Scale that was specifically developed for the WILD 5 Wellness Program. Here we noted the following improved indicators: happiness improved by 53%, enthusiasm improved by 52%, resilience improved by 64%, and optimism improved by 64% (all p <0.01).