| Summary: | <h4>Background</h4> <p>Online self-monitoring of mood can be used to investigate differences in course patterns across patient groups. This study explored the feasibility of remote symptom capture with True Colours, a self-rated online mood monitoring tool completed on a weekly basis.</p> <h4>Methods</h4> <p>Participants with bipolar disorder (N = 297) completed weekly depression and mania questionnaires over an average of 27.5 months (range 1 –81 months). Subgroups defined by sex, age, and bipolar I vs. II status were compared on time in various mood states, number of episodes, and week-to-week mood variability.</p> <h4>Results</h4> <p>Compliance with weekly questionnaires was generally high (median, 92% of weeks). Mood symptoms occurred for an average of 55.4% of weeks across the follow-up period. Females spent more time with hypomanic/manic and depressive symptoms and had more depressive episodes compared to males. Younger participants were found to experience more hypomanic/manic episodes and showed greater variability in mood symptoms than older participants. No significant differences in mood symptoms or variability were observed between bipolar I and II patients.</p> <h4>Limnitations</h4> <p>This was a naturalistic study with a heterogeneous cohort, and did not include a control group. True Colours does not identify mood fluctuations that may occur in the days between weekly assessments.</p> <h4>Conclusions</h4> <p>Monitoring moods through an online tool is both feasible and informative regarding course of illness in patients with bipolar disorder. Interventions aiming to reduce mood variability and manic/hypomanic episodes in the early phases of bipolar disorder may enhance the long-term symptomatic course of the illness.</p>
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