A team at St George's mental health trust has developed a mobile phone app to help patients with bipolar disorder track their medication.

In the UK, lithium carbonate, often referred to as lithium, is the medication used to treat the disorder, but dosage must be strictly administered and regular health checks are essential during treatment.

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The app as it appears in the Apple store

The pharmacy services team at the St George's and South West London mental health trust found that patients were keen to monitor this information in an electronic format, rather than through the usual paper booklet.

This led the team to developing the app, for Apple iPhones and android systems, which tracks lithium medicine management.

Dee Evans, pharmacist at the Trust said: "This has been a very exciting project to be part of. I hope that all those who download the app will find it a really useful addition to their mental health wellbeing by allowing easy recording of vital test results, setting reminders for forthcoming test dates and recording quality of their sleep and moods which can be used it to guide discussions with their healthcare team.

"Of course, it can also be used as a handy source of information about their medicine available at their fingertips.

"We also want to hear from other organisations in the NHS, charities or the private sector who would like to work collaboratively with us on this app.

"We have developed a framework that can be easily expanded, and which we hope will be of use to organisations out there wanting to develop something similar or for other medicine groups".

The team worked with Incentivated, a mobile technology developer, to work on the ap.

The app can also record health check results and set reminders for upcoming appointments, and record mood and sleep in a diary function.

Jonathan Bass, chief executive officer at Incentivated, said: "Smartphone take-up has reached the stage where it is now normal to use the power of these devices to help manage your day-to-day life.

"From physical activity, diet and sleep to prescription monitoring, the convenience of the mobile phone does away with the need to carry a diary and until the stigma of mental health has vanished entirely this app is discrete and secure.

"We look forward to adding medicines and non-prescription conditions to the app, the next of which is in development now."