Another mood tracking website

https://moodtracker.com/

I really, really like Optimism the best, but this one isn't too shabby either. This one lets you record two moods a day, so you can do the high and low point, or I do a morning and evening record.

There is a place to keep track of meds. It has a forum, although I haven't really explored it at this point so I can't speak to the quality of it.

This site is set up so that it is possible for your doctors to see your charting if they set up an account and are so inclined. I don't do that part, but I can see it being helpful if they looked at it.

I went ahead and paid for the full version which allows me to see pie charts of my moods, sleep, anxiety, and irritability. They're pretty, and I like seeing that in the last month my mood, etc. have been around 75% "normal" or "baseline". Nice to see in technicolor. It also allows me to set up an exercise program to keep track of and a couple of other things I can't think of right now. Certainly not necessary to buy the upgrade. The basic/free is very good by itself; I just like the add-ons.

I use that one too, just the basic version. Also use Moodscope and the mood tracker here at PC, which is actually my favorite because I can see exactly how I'm trending over time.

My health insurance company recently sent me some info and resources, along with a paper and pen mood chart that actually looks pretty useful. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I realize they are paying the lion's share of my psychiatric care expenses, and that my health issues really are their business......still, it's a little creepy that they know SO much about me. I don't get pamphlets on high blood pressure or diabetes management (both of which I have), but I guess since my MH issues have been rather prominent lately they figured their "Good Health Guidelines for People With Bipolar Disorder" would be useful. And who knows.........even as a nurse who knows a lot about health and wellness for other people, I'm an idiot when it comes to my own medical problems.

I try to volunteer as little info as possible to insurance. They obviously know diagnosis and meds, etc. which is fine (or at least a necessary evil I suppose). My husband gets info about diabetes and high blood pressure from them all the time. I get the mental health stuff. They have a program where they offer to provide a support person for these kinds of chronic issues, but I always decline that help. I have my own support system and really have no plan to give insurance any intimate details beyond basic diagnosis/treatment.

I do both Optimism and Moodtracker too. They offer different things, so I like the combination of info I get. I used to do paper/pen mood tracking, but I'm liking this on-line stuff.

Is optimism free - the browser version? How much time per day do you spend tracking and reviewing? thanks.

I can relate to this, Bpnurse. My insurance company sends me information about calling a nurse that deals in psychiatric needs. It is a part of their "wellness" program. Also, they call every so often, but I never pick up. I am not sure what the purpose is, but I am sure it is a way to reduce costs.

This is great. I can keep track every day and print it off to give to my T! thank you so much.

may have to check it out...

sounds good

I have been a member of this moodtracker site for years. I go there every so often now that I am closer to baseline, but when I was in a depressive cycle a few years ago, I hung out there a lot. I recommend it and the people are supportive.

Yes, they are both free actually. Moodtracker happens to have an upgrade you can purchase if you would like, but it isn't at all necessary. I don't spend much time at all doing my mood tracking. Just a few minutes and I'm done. Both versions have a place where you can make notes about each day/journal, so you could theoretically spend a lot more time doing it than I do, but I tend to just jot down a sentence or two to spark my memory about the day, make a few clicks to do the tracking, take a look at the charts and graphs that can be generated, and I'm done. Both sites have many more features that I don't really use to their fullest potential though.

That sounds very interesting. I will try both. What kept me from trying was thinking (incorrectly) that Optimism is not free and thinking (incorrectly) that tracking would consume my time. Thank you!

No, it really isn't time consuming, and for me right now it is important as my pdoc is lowering my meds and I'm working my way out of therapy. It is important that I stay in touch with my own symptoms so that if things start slipping, I realize it quickly enough to take action before things get too far gone.