Adam Kaplin, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Battling The Suicide Rate
Dr. Adam Kaplin knew the stats. In the U.S., 25% of the population has a mood disorder, and one million people attempt suicide every year. In fact, suicide is now one of the top 10 causes of death, and twice as many die from suicide than from homicide. And yet, we have had no significant impact on the suicide rate in the last 50 years—something Dr. Kaplin wanted to change.
Mood 24/7—invented by Dr. Kaplin and developed by Remedy Health Media—is a solution that attempts to address the isolation that comes with most mood disorders. It gives sufferers a voice and loved ones, comfort. The automated mood tracking technology consolidates all care-related communications via a web portal and a patient’s mobile device—no easy task considering mood disorder patients see an average of six specialists per year. The app sends a daily text message to users prompting them to report their mood on a scale of 1 to 10. They can also add explanatory notes to their secure web-based personal electronic mood chart, which can be reviewed by care providers in real time. This allows doctors to proactively respond to changes by the patient.
This sounds simple—and it works. Active users respond to more than 80% of daily messages, and doctors report that people enter their mood even when they expect to commit suicide that day. In other words, it has made text messaging “lifesaving.” Currently, Mood 24/7 boasts over 13,000 users and nearly 700 registered physicians.
However, Dr. Kaplin wants to increase both of those numbers. He is virtually tireless in his efforts to spread the news about the application by speaking, coordinating research and encouraging his peers in multiple industry groups. Those efforts have included being invited to present at the White House and to give the keynote at the National Network of Depression Centers annual conference. Thanks to him, and the rest of Remedy Health Media’s Mood 24/7 team, millions of people suffering from mood disorders may not feel so alone.
