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 .
A randomized comparison of online and paper mood charts for people with bipolar disorder.
BACKGROUND Longitudinal mood instability is the essential feature of bipolar disorder , however most rating scales are cross sectional in nature , and focus on acute symptoms . By contrast , the NIMH Life Chart Methodology ( LCM ) characterizes in detail the severity , duration , and frequency of mood episodes . Adherence to daily rating , however , tends to be low . In this study an online version of the LCM , design ed to enhance adherence , was compared to the st and ard paper version . METHODS Patients from a mood disorders specialty clinic were r and omized to the st and ard LCM or an online , open- source adaptation . The online version used hypertext links embedded in a daily email as the primary rating interface . Participants rated for 90 days . The total number of days rated and the number of days with complete data were compared for the two groups . RESULTS Forty-eight patients participated in the study . The online group rated approximately twice as many days compared to the st and ard group ( 44.3 versus 20.4 , p=.029 ) . The online group also entered complete data for a larger portion of days ( 55.2 % versus 27.7 % , p=.039 ) . LIMITATIONS This was a small , short-term study . The implication s for longer-term rating are unclear . CONCLUSIONS Despite the advantages of documenting mood fluctuation on a daily basis , the LCM is not commonly used , in part because ensuring adequate adherence can be re source intensive . An easily accessible online adaptation that utilizes email checking behavior can make this tool available to a wider range of patients
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 .