Bipolar Mood Diary

When to Use

Use throughout therapy and as a long-term self-management tool. Daily mood monitoring helps identify patterns, triggers, and early warning signs. Particularly valuable in the early stages of therapy for establishing baseline mood variability and ongoing for relapse detection.

How to Introduce

Explain that tracking mood daily provides data to identify patterns that are hard to see in the moment. Use a simple scale (e.g., -5 to +5 or a visual analogue scale) that captures both depressive and elevated mood states. Include sleep, medication, and key events alongside mood.

Adaptations

For clients who find daily monitoring burdensome, reduce to twice-weekly or use a simple app. For those who tend to minimise mood changes, anchor the scale with specific behavioural descriptors at each point. For clients in acute episodes, monitoring may need to be simplified or supported by a carer.

If mood monitoring increases rumination or mood-congruent cognitive processing (e.g., the client dwells on low mood while recording it), discuss this openly and consider adjusting the approach. Some clients benefit from monitoring behaviour rather than mood directly.

Clinical Tips

Review the mood diary in session and look for patterns with the client. Common patterns include mood fluctuations linked to sleep disruption, social rhythm changes, interpersonal conflict, or medication non-adherence. Use the data to validate the client's experience and to refine the formulation over time.