Just tried Moodscope...

[luckywinner]

Has anyone tried it? I heard about it on Woman's Hour last week. I am having a low today, which I am finding difficult after a huge succession of good days. I just had a go and think it might be helpful. Just wondered if anyone else had tried it.

[kizzie]

Hi yes - I use it regularly adn have done for a few months. I find the daily email updates quite reassuring and also its good to be able to look back at any patterns. Hope you find it useful.

[YawnyHead]

Yes I've been using it daily for a couple of months now, think it's brilliantly helpful. From looking at my chart I could see the line going up,down,up,down,up,down and now i'm on ADs (for just over a week) it seems to be levelling out nicely.
It's good to be able to click on the dot on the graph and say what you think caused the high or low day and look back on them over time. You can see what caused your good days and try to recreate them on a low day if you can.

[luckywinner]

I'm only on my second day, but it is helping my husband already, as he struggles when I am feeling down. I think he hates not being able to help me and this makes him feel a bit included. Do you have many moodscope buddies though? So far, I have only sent the link to my husband as I don't know whether anyone else would cope with me being down again.

[Aislingorla]

What is it? And how can I find out about it?

[YawnyHead]

luckywinner It's good that it's helping your husband, I think it helps mine too as I usually do the graph while he's watching so he can see what sort of day I've had. I don't have any buddies, thought about sending it to my husband but as he's usually sat right next to me when I do it, thought there was little point There's no one else I really trust enough.

Aislingorla It's //www.moodscope.com It has these 'cards' that you click through, they each have a score relating to your feelings that day, then it assembles your score into a graph, really clever and helpful. Sorry can't explain it very well, you'd be better off watching the animation on the home page

[bittersweetvictory]

I joined yesterday after seeing this post

[luckywinner]

Bittersweetvictory I am glad it helped you to find it as I have heard lots of great things about it. Would love to know how you get on.

Kizzie I was hoping someone would say something like that. I feel like it may help to get a handle on things.

Yawnyhead, I know exactly what you mean about trusting other people with your score. I would like to be able to tell people about it, as I think it is such a good way of people seeing how you are feeling. But I feel like no one else would cope very well seeing me down. But that makes me feel sad too.

I am in a funny place at the mo. I had severe depression october/november time and I was suicidal. I have managed to get myself to a place (with a lot of help) where I was actually enjoying life, laughing, going out, feeling good etc, but have had a bit of a crash this week. I think this is something I am always going to suffer with. I think this has been undiagnosed for most of my adult life. I don't mind that this is the way its going to be, but I do mind my life, and those of my family's lives, being thrown into chaos when it does happen. Moodscope has definitely helped already though.

[PaperView]

I don't get it.

SIgned up and did the test thingy andi still don't understand

[frumpygrumpy]

luckywinner, I've been trying it for 3 days since you mentioned it. Its really simple and interesting, thank you!

PeperView, what's up? Can I help?

[NanaNina]

I too have logged on to Moodscope and wish I'd known about it before as I am struggling to fully recover from a severe episode of depression last Easter, more good times than bad, and I keep a journal, but seeing it on a graph will be really helpful. Thanks luckywinner

[sphil]

i've been trying it too, but find it quite hard. I've been scoring steady 63s-64s in the last few days. Today I had a normal day, but nothing much happened and I just felt a bit flat, but scored 59%! The comment was 'something serious must have happened to lower your mood' but it really hasn't. I just couldnt give myself high points for enthusiasm or excitement or inspiration because it hasnt been that sort of day.
Am I doing it wrong?

[PaperView]

so i just did it for the second time and got 16% (first time was 19%) WHat is it supposed to do? I already know i am low...

[kizzie]

Hi Paperview sorry you are feeling so low at the moment. Its most use when done over a longish period of time - because then you can see (eg) if your mood is any better at different times of the month.
Hope things pick up fo you really soon.

[kizzie]

Sphil - I think the comments can sometimes be a bit misleading. I would say that mine can easily vary by about 10% without anything significant happening - just a different day. I dont really take much notice of those days. But I do take note where there are significant changes.

[NanaNina]

I am unsure about moodscape - today I am feeling better than yesterday but got a lower score and the mark on the graph looked like a real dip! Anyway I will go with how I feel I think, but might try it again. I can have 3/4 even up to 6 weeks feeling ok and then along comes another blip and can last anything from 2 - 15 days (average about 8) so would be quite interested to see the graph when my next blip comes. Find some of the Qs a little odd though, e.g. proud, excited, attentive. There's nothing about prolonged bouts of crying, sucidal thoughts, negative spiralling of thoughts, disinterest in everyday life, all of which I think are symptoms of depression, and I certainly experience those things when in a blip.

[PaperView]

The questions do seem a bit odd. And i don't like having to flip the cards but i realise that is just me!

[BertieBotts]

Thanks for the link - really interesting :) I'm going to keep track for a while and see how things change. I'm really interested in psychology so that angle is interesting too.

[Chocattack]

Hi I decided to give it a go after reading this thread (thanks luckywinner).

NanaNina and PaperView, I agree - what's with the odd questions? Nothing on sleeping or eating (lack of or overdoing it) nor tiredness something I struggle with. I'll probably do it again (as it doesn't take long) but as Kizzie said it's probably more useful when you've been doing it for a long time.

[sphil]

Paperview - I dont like flipping the cards either! i just want to get on with it! There should be a card which says ' feeling rushed' which I would mark
'extremely' every day...

[bittersweetvictory]

Ive just noticed that you can put comments on the graph on how you are feeling thats what i get for not reading it all properly before i started, i have had a massive dip to 13% one day, right up to 47% the next, ive only been doing it for a few days but as the weeks go by im hoping to see some sort of pattern, im Perimenopausal so hormones all over the place.

[BertieBotts]

I have a feeling the reason you have to flip the cards is to slow you down so you are more likely to think about it. Rather than e.g. a list with tickboxes, where it's tempting to just click anything and not really read it properly.

Have turned the emails off though as I found them horrible and really smug. "Now it's time to fill in your chart for today!" I'll do it when I want to do it, thanks. Don't really like the opener for the site either "Wash your face, brush your teeth, fill in moodscope - your daily essentials!" - just find it a bit thoughtless when the site is aimed at people who have depression and might not in fact be managing to do these things every day and feeling a bit shit about that. And I don't think you do have to fill it in every day for it to be useful, do you?

Other than that though I think it's a good idea and will be interesting to see if any patterns develop. I'm trying to remember to update my LJ every time I fill it in so that I can look back and see what I was doing/feeling on certain days.

[PaperView]

I "unjoined". It made me feel the same as Moodgym did: Stupid.

[LawrieMarlow]

I am going to try joining as I know my mental health isn't quite right (but for once I am concerned about my highs as well as lows ).

But if it is like moodgym I won't keep doing it. Was that the one with smug annoying people or was that living life to the full?

Have to say I don't like the Wash your face, brush your teeth bit either.

Possibly in a bad mood already

[fiveisanawfullybignumber]

Hi, new here but joined this this morning after reading as I know I'm at the bottom of a really low spell.
7%, on the bright side, I can't get much worse really can I?
Not sure if I'm liking the sound of the smug emails, but it's be interesting to see if my mega lows and paranoid feelings are hormone related.

[NanaNina]

Don't think I will continue - I am in a good spell at the moment and felt the same on Tues and Wed but Tues had me going down and Wed had me climbing high (big red line onthe graph) whereas I felt the same on both days. I find the comments a bit patronising although I suppose they are meant to be helpful. I might try it when I have my next blip (which will come as sure as night follows day) I keep a journal (only write in it on my bad days) and I score every day (not numbers) but very good day/ reasonably good/not good,not bad/not good+++/awful- sometimes it reads like a weather forecast, not good but improving later. At the end of 3 months I total up the no of days and how many VGD, GDs RGDs etc and then I can see the % of the total days. It's usualy approx 2/3rds good or reasonably good and 1/3rd partially bad or awful. The psychiatrist comes every 3 months and he thinks it's a good system.