Medical staffing professionals develop bipolar monitoring app

There will soon be a new app for travel nursing professionals to get comfortable with in the near future. Based on research conducted at the University of Michigan, a smartphone download may be able to detect mood changes that are related to bipolar disorder.

Professional findings
Like many other mobile apps, this one runs in the background while the user talks, texts and conducts other tasks on his or her device. In doing so, the program is able to track voice patterns of an individual, which are then analyzed by a computer for specific characteristics such as tone and pauses. From there, a clinician conducts weekly mood assessments related to bipolar disorder. The researchers are eager to test out their app on other conditions that lead to vocal changes, such as schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease and post-traumatic stress disorder.

During a preliminary study with the app, investigators looked at data that was collected from six patients with Type 1 bipolar disorder who had histories of regular manic and depressive episodes.

"We only ask that an individual use his or her smartphone as he or she normally would," Emily Mower Provost, co-leader of the project, said in a statement. "We collect speech data from the smartphone and process the data in a privacy preserving manner to learn the acoustic patterns associated with harmful mood variations."

As the researchers collect additional data, they will be better equipped to advance their app. The hope is to anticipate negative mood swings in bipolar patients by the end of the study. Currently, the program is only available for Android-operated phones. Additionally, it is only used to record the enrolled patient's side of the conversation. ​The University of Michigan is currently in the process of getting a patent on the technology.

Insight on bipolar disorder
While scientists aren't certain about the cause of bipolar disorder, it is generally considered to be the result of genes or abnormal brain structure and function in a patient. In an effort to diagnose the mental disorder more successfully, doctors are regularly conducting research on the disease. If you are working on a travel nurse job with a patient who suffers from bipolar disorder, he or she may exhibit symptoms of manic and depressive episodes. Depending on an individual's state of being, signs may include extreme highs and lows, trouble sleeping or feelings of emptiness.

Data collected by researchers at UofM may lead to improved treatment options. Currently, many doctors prescribe medications and therapy. However, knowing when a manic or depressive episode is brewing could allow a patient to proactively treat his or her condition.