Mastering Your Mood

Did you ever notice that when someone says hello and asks how you are doing, they are saying this as they are walking away? This is done so much that we never give a second though before answering, "Good, how are you?" as we ourselves are walking away and going about our business. Has anyone every actually said anything besides that when you ask? It would certainly be a bit awkward. We have come to a point where you can tell your mood to an app or some communication device more easily than to a person. Go figure. Many people are using these tools to tracks mood changes and triggers in order to take more control over their lives and wellbeing. Not only does recording data help doctors and patients to better understand why symptoms occur when they do, the information can also reveal relatively quickly whether treatments— including drugs and therapy— are working. How useful such mood apps turn out to be in mental health therapy won’t be clear until more patients try them, and more studies are done on how they affect mood and can be integrated into treatment. On the other hand, how much of our information should a program know and how is it used?