# Mood Apps



## David Baxter PhD (Aug 12, 2017)

*The 6 Best Mood Apps*
by Therese Borchard   
August 12, 2017 

Tracking  your mood, medicines, and symptoms is a critical piece of managing  depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. You can go out and buy a paper  journal every three months like I do, but there?s a much more efficient  way. A fantastic selection of mood apps  designed for the smartphone exist on the market today. Their features  allow you to better understand patterns of behavior and thoughts,  especially as they relate to factors such as sleep, diet, stress levels,  and exercise regimes. It can be overwhelming to sort through all the  possibilities, so I?ve done some homework for you, so I?ve made a list  of my top six. Happy mood tracking! Please note that these apps should  not be used as substitutes for professional help, but the data can be  easily shared with your doctor.

*1. MoodKit*
 This app was developed by two clinical psychologists (the co-creators  of Moodnotes) and draws upon the principles and techniques of cognitive behavioral therapy.  CNET?s review said ?It?s like having your own portable psychologist ?  packed with tools designed to improve not just your mood, but also your  overall well-being.? Some special features include:



Exportable Mood Charts with 7 & 30-day views 
Unlimited mood ratings and notes per day 
Over 200 mood improvement activities 
Saves exportable notes to a central journal 
A Thought Checker, which  helps you to manage negative feelings related to a specific situation 
 
Moodkit costs $4.99.

*2. What?s My M3?*
 M3 is a screening tool, a three-minute checklist to assess your risk  of depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and PTSD. The screen responses  and analysis can then be accessed online by a health care professional  or emailed directly to a doctor. The information expedites and organizes  a discussion between you and your doctor, helping to achieve a more  accurate diagnosis and assessment of issues. Once the user has completed  the screen, they are encouraged to record their progress on a biweekly  basis for the first month and monthly thereafter. The M3 website  provides patient forms for the monitoring of progress and potential  side-effects of medications. M3 is unique in that it?s the only  self-administered clinical tool that integrates patient self-rating of  symptoms covering all of the major mood and anxiety disorders, and is  the first instrument of its kind to include patient education and  monitoring of patient information and side-effects during the course of  treatment. The app is free.

*3. PTSD Coach*
 PTSD Coach was created by the US Department of Veteran Affair?s  National Center for PTSD in partnership with the Department of Defense?s  National Center for Telehealth and Technology, and has been downloaded  over 100,000 times in 74 countries around the world. Originally designed  for veterans and military members who have posttraumatic stress disorder  (PTSD), this app provides users with education about PTSD, information  about professional care, a self-assessment for PTSD, and resources for  support. It offers a range of tools helping persons to better manage the  stresses of daily life with PTSD, such as relaxation techniques,  self-talk strategies, and ideas for anger management. Users can  customize the tools and integrate them with their contacts, personal  photos, and music selections. The app is free.

*4. Breathe2Relax*
 Breathe2Relax is a stress reduction and stress management tool that  provides information on the detrimental effects of stress on the body as  well as instructions on how to decrease and manage it. For example,  users learn diaphragmatic breathing that has been documented to reduce  the body?s fight-or-flight stress response and help with mood  stabilization, anger control, and anxiety. Users record their stress  level on a visual analogue scale by swiping a small bar to the left or  to the right. The app includes sophisticated graphics, animation,  narration, and videos to deliver an enjoyable experience. Developed by  the National Center for Telehealth and Technology, this app is free.

*5. Optimism*
 Optimism is a mood-charting app that helps you to develop and monitor  health strategies, learn your triggers, and recognize early warning  signs of a decline in your mental health. The user-friendly charts and  reports can be immediately emailed or are available within the app and  form a feedback loop, which helps you to pick up on what factors help  your mental health and which ones impair it. Optimism allows you to  document a wellness plan that details your emotional health strategies  and appropriate steps in the event of a setback. The app is free.

*6. Priori*
 This app isn?t available on the market yet, but it was worth  including in this list because the remarkable technology can monitors a  user?s mood by recording his or her phone calls. By analyzing speech  patterns?subtle qualities of a person?s voice?the app can detect signs  of the start of mood episode. For example, slow speech and frequent long  pauses might indicate depression, and fast, loud speech could indicate  hypomania. In a pilot study of six people  with bipolar disorder, the app was able to distinguish manic or  depressed moods based on an analysis of a person?s speech. University of  Michigan psychiatrist Melvin McInnis, M.D., who developed Priori with  computer scientists Zahi Karam, Ph.D. and Emily Mower Provost, Ph.D.,  was quoted in a Wired  article saying, ?The question isn?t whether or not this technology is  going to be used in healthcare and monitoring individuals with  psychiatric illnesses. The question is really: How?? More testing is  still needed before the app is available for widespread use. Learn more  about the app here.


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## Daniel (Jul 17, 2018)

Another one, free for both Android and iOS:

Daylio - Mood Tracker and Micro Diary


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