2gether NHS Foundation Trust and application developer Mubaloo have launched an app that allows users to monitor their emotional well being and get advice when they are feeling down.
The app is available for free from iTunes and has already been downloaded 1,400 times since it was made available at the start of December.
It allows users to rate their mood using mood icons, track their mood through interactive mood graphs and record comments in a confidential mood diary.
In addition, people in Gloucestershire, where the 2gether NHS Foundation Trust is located, are able to see how other people in the county are feeling.
A spokesperson for the trust told E-Health Insider: “Emotional well being is a taboo subject and many people are not confident in talking about it.
"The app allows users to access, track and view online how they are feeling and track moods in the region to reassure people that they are not the only ones feeling this way.”
The app was originally used on the 2gether website. However, the trust decided it wanted to raise awareness of the importance of personal well being further by making it more easily available on iPhones, iPods and iPads.
As well as allowing people to track their mood, the app offers self help information through short films and questionnaires on the trust’s Let’s Talk website.
In addition, if a user signals that they have been feeling down for longer than two weeks it also recommends that they seek more direct help from NHS therapists or the Samaritans.
The spokesperson said that all profits made from the app will go straight back into the NHS.
2gether says it is in discussions with other trusts who want to provide a similar service to patients in their area. It is also developing a second phase, which will be much more personalised.
The spokesperson added: “Feedback from users is very important to us and we will use this in the next stage of development of the app, should this version prove popular and demand there.
"We also welcome feedback from other trusts who may want to tap into the technology for their own regional version.”
Matt Hatch, Mubaloo’s managing director, added: “We knew this application would benefit thousands of people throughout the region, especially in winter and Christmas, and we wanted to help.”