The Life Goals Self-Management Mobile App for Bipolar Disorder: Consumer Feasibility, Usability, and Acceptability Study

Kelly A Ryan; Shawna N Smith; Anastasia K Yocum; Isabel Carley; Celeste Liebrecht; Bethany Navis; Erica Vest; Holli Bertram; Melvin G McInnis; Amy M Kilbourne

doi:10.2196/32450

The Life Goals Self-Management Mobile App for Bipolar Disorder: Consumer Feasibility, Usability, and Acceptability Study

JMIR Form Res. 2021 Dec 13;5(12):e32450. doi: 10.2196/32450.

Authors

Kelly A Ryan^#¹, Shawna N Smith^#², Anastasia K Yocum^#¹, Isabel Carley^#¹, Celeste Liebrecht^#^{3

4}, Bethany Navis^#¹, Erica Vest^#¹, Holli Bertram^#¹, Melvin G McInnis^#¹, Amy M Kilbourne^#^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
² Department of Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
³ VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
⁴ Department of Learning Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 34898452
PMCID: PMC8713087
DOI: 10.2196/32450

Abstract

Background: Life Goals is an evidence-based self-management intervention that assists individuals with bipolar disorder (BD) by aligning BD symptom coping strategies with their personal goals. The intervention can be availed via in-person and telephonic sessions, and it has been recently developed as an individualized, customizable mobile app.

Objective: We examined the feasibility, usability, and acceptability of the Life Goals self-management app among individuals diagnosed with BD who used the app for up to 6 months.

Methods: A total of 28 individuals with BD used the Life Goals app on their personal smartphone for 6 months. They completed key clinical outcome measurements of functioning, disability, and psychiatric symptoms at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months, in addition to a poststudy survey about usability and satisfaction.

Results: Participants used the app for a median of 25 times (IQR 13-65.75), and for a longer time during the first 3 months of the study. The modules on depression and anxiety were the most frequently used, accounting for 35% and 22% of total usage, respectively. Overall, the study participants found the app useful (15/25, 60%) and easy to use (18/25, 72%), and they reported that the screen displayed the material adequately (22/25, 88%). However, less than half of the participants found the app helpful in managing their health (10/25, 40%) or in making progress on their wellness goals (9/25, 36%). Clinical outcomes showed a trend for improvements in mental and physical health and mania-related well-being.

Conclusions: The Life Goals app showed feasibility of use among individuals with BD. Higher user engagement was observed in the initial 3 months with users interested more frequently in the mood modules than other wellness modules. Participants reported acceptability with the ease of app use and satisfaction with the app user interface, but the app showed low success in encouraging self-management within this small sample. The Life Goals app is a mobile health technology that can provide individuals with serious mental illness with more flexible access to evidence-based treatments.

Keywords: acceptability; app; bipolar; bipolar disorder; coping; engagement; feasibility; intervention; mental health; self-management; survey; symptom management; usability.

©Kelly A Ryan, Shawna N Smith, Anastasia K Yocum, Isabel Carley, Celeste Liebrecht, Bethany Navis, Erica Vest, Holli Bertram, Melvin G McInnis, Amy M Kilbourne. Originally published in JMIR Formative Research (https://formative.jmir.org), 13.12.2021.