Taken together , the literature presented in this dissertation illustrates that 1 ) smartphone-based electronic self-monitoring of mood  seems to reflect clinical ly assessed depressive and manic symptoms and enables the long-term characterization of mood instability in bipolar disorder ; 2 ) preliminary results suggest that smartphone-based automatically generated data ( e.g. the number of text messages sent/day ; the number of incoming and outgoing calls/day ; the number of changes in cell tower IDs/day ; and voice features ) seem to reflect clinical ly assessed depressive and manic symptoms in bipolar disorder ; 3 ) smartphone-based electronic self-monitoring had no effects on the severity of depressive and manic symptoms in bipolar disorder , according to a r and omized controlled trial ; and 4 ) electronic  monitoring of psychomotor activity and heart rate variability seems to reflect illness activity in bipolar disorder and differentiate between patients with bipolar disorder and healthy control individuals .
These findings point toward the usefulness of  electronic monitoring  as a marker of illness in bipolar disorder .
Major reasons for the insufficient effects of current treatment options in bipolar disorder include delayed intervention for prodromal depressive and manic symptoms and decreased adherence to psychopharmacological treatment .
The reliance on subjective information and clinical evaluations when diagnosing and assessing the severity of depressive and manic symptoms calls for less biased and more objective markers .
By using electronic devices , fine-grained data on complex psychopathological aspects of bipolar disorder can be evaluated unobtrusively over the long term .
Using electronic monitoring as a treatment intervention could provide innovative and novel interventions on-dem and with a potential global reach , filling the gap between availability and the need for treatment .
Effects of adjunctive peer support on perceptions of illness control and understanding in an online psychoeducation program for bipolar disorder: a randomised controlled trial.
OBJECTIVES To examine the comparative effectiveness of an online psychoeducation program for people diagnosed with bipolar disorder within the previous 12 months , completed alone or with adjunctive peer support , on symptoms and perceived control over the illness . METHOD Participants were r and omly allocated to an eight-week online psychoeducation program ( n=139 )  , a psychoeducation program plus online peer support ( n=134 ) or an attentional control condition ( n=134 ) . RESULTS Increased perceptions of control , decreased perceptions of stigmatisation and significant improvements in levels of anxiety and depression , from pre- to post-intervention were found across all groups . There were no significant differences between groups on outcome measures , although a small clinical difference was found between the supported and unsupported conditions in depression symptoms and in functional impairment at the six-month follow-up . Adherence to the treatment program was significantly higher in the supported intervention than in the unsupported program . Gender and age were also significant predictors of adherence , with females and those over the age of 30 showing greater adherence . LIMITATIONS Mood state at study entry was measured by self-report rather than by clinical interview . CONCLUSIONS The pattern of outcomes suggests a primary influence of non-specific or common therapeutic factors across all three intervention groups . A personally tailored intervention may be more suitable for individuals recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder , and longer term coaching may increase program adherence and long-term improvement in symptoms and functioning
Taken together , the literature presented in this dissertation illustrates that 1 ) smartphone-based electronic self-monitoring of mood  seems to reflect clinical ly assessed depressive and manic symptoms and enables the long-term characterization of mood instability in bipolar disorder ; 2 ) preliminary results suggest that smartphone-based automatically generated data ( e.g. the number of text messages sent/day ; the number of incoming and outgoing calls/day ; the number of changes in cell tower IDs/day ; and voice features ) seem to reflect clinical ly assessed depressive and manic symptoms in bipolar disorder ; 3 ) smartphone-based electronic self-monitoring had no effects on the severity of depressive and manic symptoms in bipolar disorder , according to a r and omized controlled trial ; and 4 ) electronic  monitoring of psychomotor activity and heart rate variability seems to reflect illness activity in bipolar disorder and differentiate between patients with bipolar disorder and healthy control individuals .
These findings point toward the usefulness of  electronic monitoring  as a marker of illness in bipolar disorder .
Major reasons for the insufficient effects of current treatment options in bipolar disorder include delayed intervention for prodromal depressive and manic symptoms and decreased adherence to psychopharmacological treatment .
The reliance on subjective information and clinical evaluations when diagnosing and assessing the severity of depressive and manic symptoms calls for less biased and more objective markers .
By using electronic devices , fine-grained data on complex psychopathological aspects of bipolar disorder can be evaluated unobtrusively over the long term .
Using electronic monitoring as a treatment intervention could provide innovative and novel interventions on-dem and with a potential global reach , filling the gap between availability and the need for treatment .