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 .
Randomised controlled trial of efficacy of teaching patients with bipolar disorder to identify early symptoms of relapse and obtain treatment
Abstract Objective : To determine the efficacy of teaching patients with bipolar disorder ( manic-depressive psychosis ) to identify early symptoms of relapse and seek prompt treatment from health services . Design : Single blind r and omised controlled trial with matching on four baseline variables using a minimisation algorithm . Setting : Mental health services in four NHS trusts ( one teaching , three non-teaching ) . Subjects : 69 patients with bipolar disorder who had had a relapse in the previous 12 months . Interventions : Seven to 12individual treatment sessions from a research psychologist plus routine care or routine care alone . Main outcome measures : Time to first manic or depressive relapse , number of manic or depressive relapses , and social functioning examined by st and ardised interviews every six months for 18 months . Results : 25th centile time to first manic relapse in experimental group was 65weeks compared with 17weeks in the control group . Event curves of time to first manic relapse significantly differed between experimental and control groups ( log rank 7.04 , df=1 , P=0.008 ) , with significant reductions in the number of manic relapses over 18months ( median difference 30 % ( 95 % confidence interval 8 % to 52 % ) , P=0.013 ) . The experimental treatment had no effect on time to first relapse or number of relapses with depression , but it significantly improved overall social functioning ( mean difference 2.0(0.7to 3.2 ) , P=0.003 ) and employment ( mean difference 0.7(0.1to 1.3 ) , P=0.030 ) by 18months . Conclusion : Teaching patients to recognise early symptoms of manic relapse and seek early treatment is associated with important clinical improvements in time to first manic relapse , social functioning , and employment
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 .