Smartphone self-management and relapse risk, symptom burden, and quality of life for individuals with bipolar disorder

Comparing usual care to a smartphone-based self-management intervention, this randomized controlled trial (n=205) found that there was a decreased relapse risk for individuals at a low-risk of relapse (P=0.02) but this was not observed in individuals at high risk for relapse (P=0.62).
Additionally, the smartphone intervention was associated with a reduction in depressive symptom severity (P=0.02), improved quality of life (P=0.02), and reduced manic symptoms for low-risk individuals (P=0.001).
The authors concluded that while there was no overall significant difference in relapse risk, smartphone-based healthcare interventions offer an accessible and efficacious tool for many individuals with mental health disorders such as bipolar disorder. Further development of such tools will increase their clinical applications.