[looking4polaris]

Do any of you use a mood chart? If so, do you share it with your doc or therapist? Is the chart helpful to you personally? If you do share with your docs, has that been helpful - have you ever gotten any insight from them that you didn't see for yourself?

I've never been able to faithfully track my moods (except in the hospital when the techs did it for us), but current doc is pushing it and I'm wondering if it would be worth the effort.

Besides, I always want to "improve" the mood chart and redesign the Best Mood Chart Ever!!! when I'm manic. That is until I'm too busy with a million other ideas to bother with it

Look forward to hearing about your experiences with charts.

[missmoonshine]

I've been involved in doing the mood chart thing as well but can never decide how bad or good my mood is really, mine has been probably more helpful for my own comparison of my moods on a day-to-day basis. At least you get to recognise the difference in mood from one day to the other, and for me over all I am gettig better as slow as it seems

[Ascension]

I kind of track my moods. I have learned to be as attuned to where I am and as honest as possible with myself. I don't do therapy because of acute agoraphobia but I could see where it would be useful in either a daily or therapy process. I certainly don't think it could hurt and I think using all the tools we can is good. Good question by the way.

[Fire_Star]

I keep a mood chart. I use the one on MedHelp.org as all you have to do is tick off symptoms from a list they provide and now it allows you to put in a mood + time you''re having it instead of an average. This set up works for me, other charts/methods I've used I didn't stick to it.

The only benefit I get so far is seeing when my symptoms are blowing out. I don't remember them the next day if I don't chart it or journal about it. I just go with, 'I feel bad' when really there's more going on so the chart helps with that. Still not sure if I'll show my doctor at all. I might show my psychologist down the track as I think it might be more handy for those that see you more regularly?

[AmaShel567]

I went on MedHelp.org to look at thier mood chart because I had never heard on one before you posted this. It really looks helpful but I was thinking that if I do remember to keep up with it, the only person I would probably show it to would be my pdoc, cause she's the only one that asks how I've been doing.

I faithfully used a mood chart for about a year. I found it very helpful in gaining insight into my own triggers and mood variances. Now I can pretty much do it in my head, but using the chart was really more enlightening that I realized it was going to be.

[Skully]

I used to do the mood chart everyday but after seeing the same patterns over and over again it grew old. I did share it with my pdoc in the beginning but once medications took effect there wasn't many changes on the chart so I stopped using it.

[Anneinside]

I don't use a mood chart very often, but I made a depression and hypomania scale that reflects my own personalized symptoms.

example: suicidal
4- attempt or strong compulsion to suicide
3 - risk taking behavior/ not avoiding harm
2 - frequent thoughts of suicide
1 - wish there was something wrong with me; surfing web on suicide
0 - no suicidal/harm thoughts

I did that with other areas like intrusive thoughts, irritability, anxiety, overwhelmed, sleep.... others. I add up my score and see how I am doing. I don't tend to use it when I am doing well but try to use frequently when I am sliding.