Supporting Self-management and Quality of Life in Bipolar Disorder With the PolarUs App (Alpha): Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study.

Background: Quality of life (QoL) is increasingly being recognized as a key outcome of interventions for bipolar disorder (BD). Mobile phone apps can increase access to evidence-based self-management strategies and provide real-time support. However, although individuals with lived experiences desire support with monitoring and improving broader health domains, existing BD apps largely target mood symptoms only.

Use of smartphone apps in bipolar disorder: An international web-based survey of feature preferences and privacy concerns.

Background: Smartphone apps have potential for delivering interventions and supporting self-management in bipolar disorder (BD), however clinical trials of mental health apps have high dropout rates and low sustained use in real-world contexts. To support the development of app-based interventions, we explored use of and attitudes towards apps amongst people with BD, specifically concerns about privacy and preferences for various app features.

Methods: An international web-based survey was used to investigate concerns about privacy and the perceived importance of various app features among people with BD.

Beyond clicks and downloads: a call for a more comprehensive approach to measuring mobile-health app engagement.

Downloading a mobile health (m-health) app on your smartphone does not mean you will ever use it. Telling another person about an app does not mean you like it. Using an online intervention does not mean it has had an impact on your well-being.

A gaming adventure.

Nurse orientees regularly express concern about managing difficult clinical situations. Using this information, preceptors developed an educational "adventure" game, incorporating clinical scenarios applicable to an inpatient psychiatric treatment program. The scenarios are timeless and can be generalized to other healthcare settings.