Mood charting

Does anyone chart their moods? If you use an app on your phone, which one? T wants me to start documenting mood and all symptoms. I think I found an app I like but was just curious what others do.

Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

I use a DIY paper chart. Updating it is one of the things I'm supposed to doing right now.

imoodjournal on my phone. Pdoc wanted me to try it....been a great thing for my appointments. She can see whats been going on. I forget it all.

I chart my monthly moods with paper and pen. It's a line graph spreadsheet where I can include daily notes for hours of sleep, irritability, anxiety, menses, medication, exercise and pdoc/therapy appts. I like seeing the whole picture on one page.

I used to use the Optimism app. It's great! But for me I just couldn't remember to do it daily. I keep my paper chart on my nightstand and fill it out before bed. Easy peasy.

It took me a while to really figure out a system. I have charts since 2007 so it's really cool to look back on them!!

I use Optimism, it's a free program that also syncs with your free online account, has charts graphs, highly configurable for personal needs. I love it and highly recommend it.

Now as for charting, it's definitely a good thing! Even if you lose interest in recording daily and have lapses of months with no entries, it's beneficial! It helps you see patterns and trends. I been doing it for over a year now, wish I started sooner! I discovered that I got depressed around the same time last year and seen how long it lasted and can read my daily notes from them, it's cool seeing your mood swings on a graph too.

Seriously, Optimism has been one of the best tools I've come across.

I should add....imoodjournal has reminder alarms to chart. I have 3 set and I use the rooster tone!

I must have downloaded all mood charting apps on my iphone..but I always delete them after a while..because they are either too complicated when I'm not well or look babyish, or because I can't put what I want on them..when I feel well I just don't chart...really I find the best thing I have is a little chart booklet a nurse gave me 2 years ago..I can't write much on it..but I've noticed that each time I was not well I did write in it and this is what helps me when I walk into the doctors office so I can answer some of the questions . but I think I will give some apps another try : optimisum (free) and maybe my mood tracker..tell us what works for you

I'm using optimism because it covers everything it seems my T wants and it saves quite a bit of writing.

Anyone able to se an episode coming before it gets bad b/c of charting?

I use moodlytics. It's a simple mood sticker chart but let's you take notes.@

I use the mood tracker and daily mood tools on psych central to record moods as well as writing down how im feeling, whats going on for me in notebooks, , from time to time and sometimes on plain A4 paper, i just give myself permission to write freely, including drawing too.

Sometimes. I have terrible sense of time. Chart: time format. So, seeing things that'd otherwise be missed or when a pattern is really starting to develop. For instance, there was a spell when I guessed I'd been hypo for maybe 4 days. Chart revealed it had actually been going on a week and a half(!) Ooops! Ok --better up the diligence in keeping an eye on this one. (How did I not notice till that far in??!! Distracted much?! Or maybe scattered missed days, then realizing that (although I couldn't fill in the more detailed info…) that there was a point where it had increased significantly and that hadn't been any days that weren't like that since then.

I wish it would work better when I'm all over the place, but I get very erratic and forget to chart. One time, sensed it was getting quite bad because of a feeling like dejá vu of the timeframe that had preceded a long-lasting mixed episode. ( A real stand-out of horror the magnitude of which I NEVER want to experience again.) Anyway… "back-charting" (by going through matching-date PC posts) confirmed the dejá vu warning. (And how!) Took getting that pup back in line seriously. And PRONTO.

Mood charting has helped me, among other things, understand the duration of an episode and possible reasons why it happened. My hypomanic episodes just appear to happen. But I can see episodes of depression coming before it happens.

Thanks all for your input. It is very much appreciated. You have helped me greatly!

I use moodlytics. And on pc facingus.org

I use Optimism online plus the Mood Tracker here on PC. I have almost three years' worth of mood charting and I can see at a glance what my patterns have been. I share it with my pdoc once in awhile, mainly because he wants to see where I'm struggling (and not calling!). It's a handy little tool and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a mood chart that's customizeable and easy to use.

I used this mood chart http://www.psychtoolkit.com/uploads/...v_06-24-11.pdf

It helped me a lot to recognize patterns and triggers. The comment section is very helpful too. I don't really chart my moods anymore but I do journal, I can kinda figure how my mood has been by reading past entries.

I use optimism.
When I'm depressed I use more of the features plus use the notes section. When I'm doing better I just fill out the sleep amounts and brief notes, when hypo I rarely remember it. It just has the numbers of hours slept and quality of sleep. I've noticed a direct correlation between the lack of sleep and an increase in symptoms, high and/or low. One thing I do wish it had is the ability to note the exact times I went to bed and kept on a schedule that could be charted, not just put in the note section. It just has the numbers of hours slept and quality of sleep.