A Bipolar UK ambassador has been awarded the British Citizen Award for creating its Mood Tracker app that has helped tens of thousands of people living with bipolar to manage their condition and reduce hospital stays.
Andrew Thompson BCAh, from Staffordshire, launched the free Bipolar UK Mood tracker app to empower people to track their mood and spot early signs of an episode, so they can take steps to ward off a relapse.
The 57-year-old was inspired to create the app because despite being referred to a psychiatrist at the age of 19, he was not diagnosed with bipolar until the age of 50 when he independently sought support through the charity Bipolar UK.
With his diagnosis established, in 2019 Andrew approached the charity with the idea to develop the app which would help him and other people living with bipolar to log their moods, sleep patterns and medication, and empower them to recognise signs of relapse and share data with their healthcare teams.
“When I was 50, I was diagnosed with bipolar type 2, and my psychiatrist couldn’t believe that the diagnosis hadn’t been picked up sooner,” said Andrew.
“I joined the army at 16 and, after three years of mood swings, dark thoughts, and outbursts, was referred to an army psychiatrist and eventually discharged without a diagnosis.
“For years I took antidepressants and had counselling for depression, I also struggled with low moods for weeks and months and years on end – at times I was happy and at others I was irritable and angry.
“When I was finally diagnosed, the change was immediate and 30 years after seeing the army psychiatrist, I still wonder how things might have been different with the right help back then, which ultimately inspired me to create the app.
“I am incredibly honoured to receive The British Citizen Award and pleased that I am being recognised for making a positive impact on society and the bipolar community.”
Since Bipolar UK launched the app in 2022, 50,000 people in the bipolar community have downloaded it.
At the end of 2023, Bipolar UK released the findings of an independent evaluation of its services and Andrew’s Mood Tracker app ranked fourth out of 20 for having the highest positive impact, and first for helping users spend less time in hospital.
“Andrew’s app has made a significant difference to the lives of thousands of people, helping them to spend less time in hospital by making it easier to track symptoms, spot early warning signs, and share insights with family or healthcare teams. This is an extremely well-deserved honour,” said Simon Kitchen, CEO of Bipolar UK.
“He has shown a huge commitment to improving the lives of others – using his evenings, weekends and holidays to develop, manage and maintain the app and action user feedback to improve its functionality. He is truly an inspiration and we’re proud to call him an ambassador.”
For those without a formal diagnosis of bipolar disorder, a quick screening questionnaire is available via the app where users simply respond to a series of yes-or-no questions.
Simon added: “This function is especially important given the widespread issue of delayed diagnosis, as highlighted in Andrew’s story.
In fact, the average time to receive a bipolar diagnosis is 9.5 years.”
The evidence-based questionnaire helps identify whether further medical assessment for bipolar disorder may be appropriate and takes less than five minutes to complete.
One anonymous user, who told Bipolar UK they’d downloaded the app in January 2023 after experiencing symptoms, said: “I am currently awaiting assessment for bipolar disorder (after 30 years of non-specified depression and anxiety.)
“The app has been fantastic for getting some insight into my mood changes, and triggers – well done, Andrew.”
To find out more information about the Mood Tracker app, visit here: https://www.bipolaruk.org/blog/getting-a-diagnosis-of-bipolar-inspired-me-to-create-a-mood-tracker-app
Bipolar UK offers support to anyone affected by bipolar with their free UK-wide services – peer support line, peer support groups and eCommunity – and resources, including their Could it be bipolar?campaign and Mood Tracker app.
ENDS