Starting an anti-depressant seems like a simple process as it is often common practice. You might have lots of questions prior to starting one. What are the side effects? How can I tell it is working? What about the black box warning about some anti-depressants potentially causing suicide thoughts?
The company Iodine has created a mobile app called Start, meant to track symptoms of depression focusing on the first 12 weeks of treatment on an anti-depressant. I downloaded the app last week to test it out. It is very intuitive and offers a set reminders to complete tasks and stay engaged. There are pre-loaded symptoms/goals to track but options exist you can customize the symptoms that matter to you….
What is also excited me is that they added the PHQ-9 which is standard measure to track depression symptoms. It also provides a progress report every two weeks. This is based on the data you enter in.
This progress report can be easily shared with your provider… From the care management perspective I love how they describe on their website…
Start is designed to complement the doctor-patient relationship. The app’s check-ins and progress reports are designed to augment clinical visits and guide patient and doctor alike on the road ahead.
The app is currently available for download on Iphone only with a release for android to follow. It is a wonderful tool and great example of how tech can be an adjunct to treatment.
