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 .
A Text Message–Based Intervention for Weight Loss: Randomized Controlled Trial
Background To our knowledge , no studies have evaluated whether weight loss can be promoted in overweight adults through the use of an intervention that is largely based on daily SMS ( Short Message Service : text ) and MMS ( Multimedia Message Service : small picture ) messages transmitted via mobile phones . Objective This paper describes the development and evaluation of a text message – based intervention design ed to help individuals lose or maintain weight over 4 months . Methods The study was a r and omized controlled trial , with participants being exposed to one of the following two conditions , lasting 16 weeks : ( 1 ) receipt of monthly printed material s about weight control ; ( 2 ) an intervention that included personalized SMS and MMS messages sent two to five times daily , printed material s , and brief monthly phone calls from a health counselor . The primary outcome was weight at the end of the intervention . A mixed-model repeated- measures analysis compared the effect of the intervention group to the comparison group on weight status over the 4-month intervention period . Analysis of covariance ( ANCOVA ) models examined weight change between baseline and 4 months after adjusting for baseline weight , sex , and age . Results A total of 75 overweight men and women were r and omized into one of the two groups , and 65 signed the consent form , completed the baseline question naire , and were included in the analysis . At the end of 4 months , the intervention group ( n = 33 ) lost more weight than the comparison group ( −1.97 kg difference , 95 % CI −0.34 to −3.60 kg , P = .02 ) after adjusting for sex and age . Intervention participants ’ adjusted average weight loss was 2.88 kg ( 3.16 % ) . At the end of the study , 22 of 24 ( 92 % ) intervention participants stated that they would recommend the intervention for weight control to friends and family . Conclusions Text messages might prove to be a productive channel of communication to promote behaviors that support weight loss in overweight adults . Trial Registration Clinical trials.gov NCT00415870 ; http:// clinical trials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00415870 ( Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/5dnolbkFt
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 .