Conclusions  Electronic self-monitoring of mood in depression appears to be a valid measure of mood in contrast to self-monitoring of mood in mania .
Background Various paper-based mood charting instruments are used in the monitoring of symptoms in bipolar disorder .
During recent years an increasing number of electronic self-monitoring tools have been developed .
The objectives of this systematic review were 1 ) to evaluate the validity of electronic self-monitoring tools as a method of evaluating mood compared to clinical rating scales for depression and mania and 2 ) to investigate the effect of electronic self-monitoring tools on clinical ly relevant outcomes in bipolar disorder .
There are yet few studies on the effect of  electronic self-monitoring of mood  in bipolar disorder .
Computer-assisted self-assessment in persons with severe mental illness.
BACKGROUND It has been difficult to improve care for severe mental illness ( SMI ) in usual care setting s because clinical information is not reliably and efficiently managed . Methods are needed for efficiently collecting this information to evaluate and improve health care quality . Audio computer-assisted self-interviewing ( ACASI ) can facilitate this data collection and has improved outcomes for a number of disorders , suggesting the need to test its accuracy and reliability in people with SMI . METHOD Ninety patients with DSM-IV schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder ( N = 45 ) or bipolar disorder ( N = 45 ) recruited between Oct. 15 , 2002 , and July 1 , 2003 , were r and omly assigned to 1 of 2 study groups and completed 2 st and ardized symptom surveys ( Revised Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale and the symptom severity scale of the Schizophrenia Outcomes Module 2 ) 20 minutes apart in a crossover study design . Half of the patients first completed the scales via an in-person interview , and the other half first completed the scales via an  ACASI survey self-administered through an Internet browser using a touchscreen developed to meet the cognitive needs of people with SMI . We evaluated attitudes toward ACASI  , underst and ing of the ACASI survey , internal consistency , correlations between the ACASI and interview modes , concurrent validity , and a possible administration mode bias . RESULTS All ACASI and in-person interview scales had similar internal reliability , high correlations ( r = 0.78 - 1.00 ) , and mean scores similar enough as not to be different at p < .05 . A large majority rated the ACASI survey as easier , more enjoyable , more preferable if monthly completion of a survey were required , and more private , and 97 % to 99 % perfectly answered questions about how to use it . CONCLUSION ACASI data collection is reliable among people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and could be a valuable tool to improve their care
Conclusions  Electronic self-monitoring of mood in depression appears to be a valid measure of mood in contrast to self-monitoring of mood in mania .
Background Various paper-based mood charting instruments are used in the monitoring of symptoms in bipolar disorder .
During recent years an increasing number of electronic self-monitoring tools have been developed .
The objectives of this systematic review were 1 ) to evaluate the validity of electronic self-monitoring tools as a method of evaluating mood compared to clinical rating scales for depression and mania and 2 ) to investigate the effect of electronic self-monitoring tools on clinical ly relevant outcomes in bipolar disorder .
There are yet few studies on the effect of  electronic self-monitoring of mood  in bipolar disorder .