We are delighted to celebrate Laurence for their outstanding contribution to the recent BJPsych Open publication titled “How do individuals with bipolar disorder experience ecological momentary assessment and mood monitoring? A systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis”.
This landmark article offers a comprehensive synthesis of qualitative evidence on how people with bipolar disorder engage with ecological momentary assessment (EMA)—a method of capturing real-time mood and experience in everyday life. Key insights include:
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Personal impact of EMA: Participants reported an increased awareness of mood fluctuations, improved recognition of triggers, and enhanced reflection on personal mental health patterns.
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Benefits: Including better self-monitoring, increased sense of agency, and a deeper understanding of internal emotional states.
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Challenges: Emotional fatigue, the potential for hyper-focus on mood, and occasional burden from frequent prompts.
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Recommendations: Tailored and flexible EMA tools—attuned to individual contexts—are vital to maximising user engagement and minimizing stress.
Laurence played an essential role in:
Rigorous qualitative analysis
Conducting thematic synthesis across diverse studies to uncover shared experiences of EMA usage.
Empowering lived voices
Bringing rich participant narratives to the fore, ensuring lived experiences shape both findings and the recommendations.
Translational insights
Bridging qualitative insights with practical design and clinical guidance—emphasising tools that are both empathetic and effective for real-world use.
With mental health tech advancing rapidly, EMA holds promise for depression and bipolar care. But its real-world effectiveness depends on how users feel engaging with it. Thanks to Laurence’s work, we now have a deeper understanding of empowerment through self awareness, balancing data capture with emotional wellbeing, and the need for human centred, adaptive design.
Laurence’s analysis provides clear guidelines for developers, clinicians, and researchers working to improve mental health monitoring tools. His work illuminates a path toward more humane, impactful EMA solutions for people with bipolar disorder.
🗓️ Published: 20 June 2025
🔗 Read the full article here