Bipolar Disorder: Why Mood Tracking and Treatment History Matter to Research

Every figure in this guide comes from a published source, linked where it appears and kept in CureCircle's evidence base with the source's own words. It is not medical advice. Read on 7 November 2026.

Finding the right treatment for bipolar disorder often takes years: a mood stabiliser that worked but brought side effects, a dose that needed checking every week, an episode that came despite everything, a routine that finally helped. Much of that happens between appointments, in mood charts, sleep, and what the person and the people close to them noticed. Research on bipolar treatment learns from exactly that long view, told by the person who lived it.

How many people live with it

According to the WHO, in 2023 "an estimated 36 million people (or 0.4% of the global population), including approximately 32 million adults, were living with bipolar disorder". The Global Burden of Disease study estimated 1.63 million new cases among people aged 15 to 49 in 2021.

The records worth keeping

NICE's guideline on bipolar disorder describes the checks and reviews that leave records:

• Mood self-monitoring: psychological treatment for bipolar disorder should include self-monitoring of mood, thoughts and behaviour. A mood chart kept over months is one of the most useful records there is.
• Lithium levels, for people who take it: 1 week after starting lithium and 1 week after every dose change, and weekly until the levels are stable.
• A yearly physical health check with blood tests for glucose and cholesterol, weight and blood pressure, performed at least annually, and glucose and lipid tests at 12 weeks for people starting an antipsychotic.
• A review of treatment and care, including medication, at least annually and more often if the person, carer or healthcare professional has any concerns.

If you do not have your blood results or clinic letters, ask your practice or mental health team for a copy.

What sharing it is worth

CureCircle values every contribution with a public benchmark built from what health data has sold for. A complete bipolar disorder story with the records the guideline lists comes to about $88 per licence on the benchmark today. With 90 days of mood chart entries added, it comes to about $337 per licence, because day-by-day mood records linked to treatment are evidence research rarely gets. Every line and its source is on the bipolar disorder page.

A licence is not a one-off sale: the same de-identified story can be licensed to several research teams, and you earn a share each time.

On your own terms

Mental health records are among the most sensitive there are. You decide what to share, and you read the de-identified summary before anything goes anywhere: no names, no place finer than a country, no exact dates, and you can withdraw at any time. How de-identification works, and what it cannot promise.

You can also tell the story of someone you support, with their permission. The questions are then asked about them, and the record notes that a carer told it.

Start your story, or read what your health data is worth first.