Distant mood monitoring for depressive and bipolar disorders : a systematic review
Date
2020-07-22
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BMC (part of Springer Nature)
Abstract
Background: Broadening our knowledge of the longitudinal course of mood symptoms is cardinal to providing
effective long-term treatments. Research indicates that patients with mental illness are willing to engage in the use
of telemonitoring and mobile technology to assess and monitor their mood states. However, without the provision
of distant support, adverse outcomes and events may be difficult to prevent and manage through self-monitoring.
Understanding patient perspectives is important to achieving the best balance of self-monitoring, patient
empowerment, and distant supporter involvement.
Methods: This systematic review synthesises quantitative and qualitative evidence of the effectiveness and
feasibility of daily/weekly/monthly remote mood monitoring that includes distant support in participants with
mood disorders. Inclusion criteria comprised mood monitoring of mood disorder patients as main intervention,
study design, method of monitoring, and presence of psychotherapy and psychoeducation. Effectiveness was
defined by the change in depression and/or mania scores. Feasibility was determined on participant feedback
and completion/attrition rates. Studies were assessed for quality using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool
version 2018.
Results: Nine studies of acceptable quality met the inclusion criteria. Distant mood monitoring was effective in
improving depression scores but not mania scores. Feasibility, as measured through compliance and
completion rates and participant feedback, varied.
Conclusion: Distant mood monitoring with support may be a useful, acceptable, and feasible intervention for
diverse groups of patients in terms of age and ethnicity. Further, it may be effective in improving symptoms of
depression, increasing treatment adherence, and facilitating the prevention and management of adverse
outcomes. As a task-shifting intervention, distant mood monitoring may help to alleviate the burden on mental
health providers in developing countries.
Description
CITATION: Van Der Watt, A. S. J., et al. 2020. Distant mood monitoring for depressive and bipolar disorders : a systematic review. BMC Psychiatry, 20:383, doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02782-y.
The original publication is available at https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/
The original publication is available at https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/
Keywords
Affective disorders -- Self-regulation, Mood (Psychology) -- Self-regulation, Wireless communication systems in medical care
Citation
Van Der Watt, A. S. J., et al. 2020. Distant mood monitoring for depressive and bipolar disorders : a systematic review. BMC Psychiatry, 20:383, doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02782-y