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Pharmacopsychiatry 2003; 36: 244-249
DOI: 10.1055/s-2003-45137
Original Paper
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

The Electronic Assessment of the Longitudinal Course of Bipolar Disorder: The ChronoRecord Software

P. C. Whybrow1 , P. Grof2 , L. Gyulai3 , N. Rasgon1, 4 , T. Glenn5 , M. Bauer1, 6
  • 1Neuropsychiatric Institute & the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences of the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
  • 2Department of Psychiatry, University of Ottawa, Royal Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Canada
  • 3Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
  • 4Department of Psychiatry, Stanford School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
  • 5ChronoRecord Association, Inc., Fullerton, CA, USA (http://www.chronorecord.org)
  • 6Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Campus Charité-Mitte (CCM), Berlin, Germany
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
15 December 2003 (online)

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Longitudinal studies are the optimal approach when investigating the highly variable course of bipolar disorder, but such studies are expensive, prone to reporting errors and to missing data. Automation of data collection may reduce such errors and improve data quality. The ChronoRecord, validated software that patients can install on a home computer to report mood, medications, sleep, life events, weight and menstrual data, has been designed to achieve such automation. In the trial of the ChronoRecord reported here, 80 of 96 (83 %) patients with bipolar disorder showed high acceptance of this computer-based system for self-report, entering daily recordings for a period of 3-months. This new technology, in addition to providing an accurate longitudinal record for research purposes, also facilitates on-going patient feedback and accurate study monitoring.

Key words

bipolar disorder - longitudinal studies - methodology - self-reporting - ChronoRecord computer software

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Peter C. Whybrow, MD

Director, Neuropsychiatric Institute & Hospital

760 Westwood Plaza

C7-463

University of California at Los Angeles

Los Angeles

CA, 90024

USA

Phone: 001-310-206 1233

Fax: 001-310-825-3942

Email: pwhybrow@mednet.ucla.edu