JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness that results in significant morbidity and mortality. A combination of medications and psychotherapy improves outcomes, but accessibility of treatment is limited. Smartphones and other technologies have the potential to increase access to evidence-based strategies that enhance self-management while simultaneously providing real-time user feedback and provider alerts to augment care.

Objective:

This study obtained user input to guide the development of LiveWell: a smartphone based self-management intervention for bipolar disorder.

Methods:

Individuals with bipolar disorder participated in an initial field trial focused on developing a self-report data collection platform followed by design sessions, usability testing, and a second field trial with the goal of developing a bipolar disorder smartphone self-management intervention. Participant feedback was obtained formally via structured interviews and questionnaires as well as informally during the second field trial coaching sessions. Iterative revisions to the application design were made based on participant feedback throughout all phases of development. A qualitative analysis of participants’ personalized anchors for mood, thought, and wellness ratings was utilized to better understand the signs and symptoms that participants identified as important for wellness self-monitoring. Thematic analysis of the second field trial’s exit interviews was used to better understand participants’ experience of the intervention and its delivery.

Results:

Our research team sought participant input to aid in the design and development of a smartphone-based self-management intervention for bipolar disorder. This process led to design revisions and provided insights into what participants valued. In discussing behavior change processes, participants emphasized the importance of managing early warning signs and symptoms and the central role of monitoring and social support in this management. Participants reported that personalizing their wellness rating scale descriptions and their plans for staying well was useful. Interestingly, when participants anchored a wellness rating scale rather than separate mood and thought scales, most anchors were categorized as behaviors. This suggests that a less directed approach may better capture participants’ experiences and needs. While participants found the current level of application personalization beneficial, they also requested more psychoeducational information and personalization. These requests lead to design tensions between individual participant preferences and the delivery of a generally useful evidence-based, self-management intervention for bipolar disorder.

Conclusions:

This study emphasizes the importance of monitoring, evaluation and adjustment as well as the development of insight as key volitional and motivational factors that encourage behavior change. Participants also indicated that social support from the coach as well as involvement and engagement of family, friends and providers was important in terms of seeking and receiving assistance with behavior maintenance. Finally, personalization of digital mental health self-report tools such as scales, questionnaires and plans may enhance self-reflection practices as well as connection with core intervention content.