ArticleInternational journal of bipolar disorders2022
Evaluating the quality, safety, and functionality of commonly used smartphone apps for bipolar disorder mood and sleep self-management.
Article in International journal of bipolar disorders, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Mood Monitoring, Mood Tracking, and Ambulatory Assessment Interventions in Depression and Bipolar Disorder: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.JMIR mental health · 2026Pooled it
- The User Experience of Ambulatory Assessment and Mood Monitoring in Bipolar Disorder: Systematic Review and Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Studies.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- Cultural Adaptation of a Digital Mobile App for Bipolar Disorder (PolarUs): Protocol for a Qualitative Co-Design Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Five years of app evaluation: Insights from a framework in practice - a systematic review on the m-health index and navigation database.Internet interventions · 2025Article
- What influences engagement with a bipolar disorder self-management app? A qualitative investigation of use of the PolarUs app.PLOS digital health · 2025Article
- Bipolar disorder.Lancet (London, England) · 2025Review
- A Brief Video-Based Intervention to Improve Digital Health Literacy for Individuals With Bipolar Disorder: Intervention Development and Results of a Single-Arm Quantitative Pilot Study.Journal of participatory medicine · 2025Article
- Between regulatory functions and emotional burden: balancing engagement in digital health interventions for self-care in chronic illness.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- The use of a smartphone app for self-monitoring by patients with bipolar disorder being treated in a primary care setting.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2025Article
- Digital Tools to Facilitate the Detection and Treatment of Bipolar Disorder: Key Developments and Future Directions.JMIR mental health · 2024Article
- Lithium levels and lifestyle in patients with bipolar disorder: a new tool for self-management.International journal of bipolar disorders · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIndividuals with bipolar disorder (BD) are increasingly turning to smartphone applications (apps) for health information and self-management support. While reviews have raised concerns regarding the effectiveness and safety of publicly available apps for BD, apps surveyed may not reflect what individuals with BD are using. The present study had two aims: first, to characterize the use of health apps to support mood and sleep amongst people with BD, and second, to evaluate the quality, safety and functionality of the most commonly used self-management apps.
methodsA web-based survey was conducted to explore which apps people with BD reported using to support self-management of mood and sleep. The characteristics of the most commonly nominated apps were described using a standardized framework, including their privacy policy, clinical foundations, and functionality.
resultsRespondents (n = 919) were 77.9% female with a mean age of 36.9 years. 41.6% of participants (n = 382) reported using a self-management app to support mood or sleep. 110 unique apps were nominated in relation to mood, and 104 unique apps nominated in relation to sleep; however, most apps were only mentioned once. The nine most frequently nominated apps related to mood and sleep were subject to further evaluation. All reviewed apps offered a privacy policy, however user control over data was limited and the complexity of privacy policies was high. Only one app was developed for BD populations. Half of reviewed apps had published peer-reviewed evidence to support their claims of efficacy, but little research was specific to BD.
conclusionFindings illustrate the potential of smartphone apps to increase the reach of psychosocial interventions amongst people with BD. Apps were largely created by commercial developers and designed for the general population, highlighting a gap in the development and dissemination of evidence-informed apps for BD. There may be risks in using generic health apps for BD self-management; clinicians should enquire about patients' app use to foster conversations about their particular benefits and limitations.
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Registered trials
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