JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Bipolar Disorder (BD) impacts over 40 million people around the world, often manifests in early adulthood, and substantially impacts in the quality of life and functioning of individuals. Although early interventions are associated with a better prognosis, the early detection of BD is challenging given the high degree of similarity with other psychiatric conditions, including Major Depressive Disorder, corroborating to the high rates of misdiagnosis. Further, BD has a chronic, relapsing course, and the majority of patients will go on to experience mood relapses despite pharmacological treatment. Digital technologies present promising results to augment early detection of symptoms, and to enhance BD treatment. In this editorial, we will discuss the current findings about the use of digital technologies in the field of BD, while debating the challenges associated with its implementation in clinical practice and the future directions.