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 .
Validation of the prospective NIMH-Life-Chart Method (NIMH-LCM-p) for longitudinal assessment of bipolar illness.
BACKGROUND Systematic and accurate depiction of a patient 's course of illness is crucial for assessing the efficacy of maintenance treatments for bipolar disorder . This need to rate the long-term prospect i ve course of illness led to the development of the National Institute of Mental Health prospect i ve Life Chart Methodology ( NIMH-LCM-p or LCM ) . The NIMH-LCM-p allows for the daily assessment of mood and episode severity based on the degree of mood associated functional impairment . We have previously presented preliminary evidence of the reliability and validity of the LCM , and its utility in clinical trials . This study is a further and more extensive validation of the clinician rated NIMH-LCM-p . METHODS Subjects included 270 bipolar patients from the five sites participating in the Stanley Foundation Bipolar Network . Daily prospect i ve LCM ratings on the clinician form were initiated upon entry , in addition to at least monthly ratings with the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-clinician rated ( IDS-C ) , the Young Mania Rating Scale ( YMRS ) and the Global Assessment of Functioning ( GAF ) . We correlated appropriate measures and time domains of the LCM with the IDS-C , YMRS and GAF . RESULTS Severity of depression on the LCM and on the IDS-C were highly correlated in 270 patients ( r = -0.785 , P < 0.001 ) . Similarly , a strong correlation was found between LCM mania and the YMRS ( r = 0.656 , P < 0.001 ) and between the LCM average severity of illness and the GAF ( r = -0.732 , P < 0.001 ) . CONCLUSIONS These data further demonstrate the validity and potential utility of the NIMH-LCM-p for the detailed daily longitudinal assessment of manic and depressive severity and course , and response to treatment
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 .