While people with bipolar disorder often struggle to identify when they need help, a new app has been created to help solve this problem.
- In France, it is estimated that 2.5% of the population suffers from bipolar disorder.
- Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric illness characterized by alternating manic or hypomanic phases (the so-called “up” phases) and depressive phases (the so-called “down” phases).
- A new application allows you to assess the intensity and progression of these phases and thus to suffer them less.
The Bipolarity France association has recently made a mobile application available to all those affected by bipolar disorder. Named “Mood Tracker” and downloadable on Apple and Android, it allows patients to identify whether they need care, something that many are unable to naturally sense without outside help.
Bipolar Disorder: How Does “Mood Tracker” Work?
“The data is not collected, that is to say it is only recorded on the device used, and only the user can decide to share it with a healthcare professional and/or a loved one”, the association said in a press release.
“Thanks to Mood Trackerusers can now record their mood scores, put words to their emotions or even keep a log of their treatments”, she adds. The application also allows you to indicate the number of hours of sleep, access your summary, get advice and join a community. “The user of our new application can directly access the Bipolarité France website as well as all its social networks”, the non-profit organization clarifies on the last point.
Concretely, if the user of Mood Tracker wants for example to evaluate his/her mood, he/she can move the cursor to select a score. The mood score can be rated from 0 to 10, with 0 being a sign of severe depression and 10 being a sign of of mania. Scores between 4 and 6 reflect a balanced state.
“Mood Tracker”: 2.5% of the French population is affected by bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric illness characterized by alternating manic and hypomanic phases (the so-called “up”) and depressive phases (the so-called phases “down”).
Without optimal care, bipolar disorders can have a strong impact on patients’ quality of life: social isolation, academic or professional difficulties, dangerous behavior, insomnia and suicide attempts. “Bipolar disorder is one of the most serious psychiatric illnesses that leads to suicide attempts: 1 in 2 patients will make at least one attempt in their life and 15% will die from it,” precise on this subject HAS (High Authority of Health).
Bipolar disorder typically occurs in young adults between the ages of 15 and 25, and an average of 8 to 10 years elapse between the onset of symptoms and the correct diagnosis.
In France, it is estimated that 2.5% of the population suffers from bipolar disorder.