Smart Phone App Helps Track Post-Deployment Emotional Health
October 25, 2010

The Department of Defense announced today the release of a free smart phone mobile application that will make it easier for servicemembers and veterans to track their emotional health after deployments.

The National Center for Telehealth and Technology (T2) developed the T2 Mood Tracker to help users monitor trends of emotions and behaviors from therapy, medication, daily experiences and changes in their environment such as work and home. It can be downloaded through http://www.t2health.org/apps/t2-mood-tracker.

“Therapists and physicians often have to rely on patient recall when trying to gather information about symptoms over the previous weeks or months. Research has shown that information collected after the fact, especially about mood, tends to be inaccurate,” said Perry Bosmajian, a psychologist with T2. “This application can improve the quality of the treatments for the provider and the patient. The best record of an experience is when it’s recorded at the time and place it happens.”

The T2 Mood Tracker can record emotional experiences from a few days to several months to see results over time, and the information can also be shared with therapists and physicians to monitor a patient’s behavior throughout treatment.

The application is now available for smart phones using the Android operating system. It is expected to be available for iPhone users early next year.

Located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., T2 is a component of the Defense Centers for Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. More information about the T2 Mood Tracker is available at http://www.t2health.org/apps or contact Joseph Jimenez at 253-968-4880 or [email protected].