Leveraging technology to improve medication adherence in bipolar individuals: A systematic review

Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition with drastic shifts in a person’s mood, energy, and ability to think clearly. Around 4% of the US population has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, with an estimated $87.7 billion dollars in excess costs due to the condition. Treatment for bipolar disorder usually includes therapy and medication, but it is estimated half the patient population does not take their medication as prescribed. Telemedicine resources are available to help improve patients take their medications, but knowledge about newer technologies since the explosion in smartphone technology is lacking. This paper looked at what types of telemedicine technologies have been studied to improve medication adherence in individuals with bipolar disorder, limiting studies to after 2011. Two databases, PubMed and PsychINFO, were searched using key terms such as “bipolar disorder”, “telemedicine”, and “medication adherence” to identify potentially relevant articles. A total of 418 papers were identified and screened, with only 5 papers eventually chosen to be included based on the objective of this review. Some studies used text messages to remind patients to take their medications, while two studies included “smart” pill bottles and one used a video game, but no studies used any type of application or other smartphone technology. The lack of studies using smartphone applications shows there is an area for technology companies and clinicians to work together to design new applications and technologies to help individuals with bipolar disorder