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Table of Contents About Optimism... 1 Introduction... 1 Software Assumptions... 1 Overview of the Record Screen... 2 Choosing a Day... 3 Using the Arrows and Today Button... 3 Using the Calendar Window... 3 Core Data... 4 Stay Well Strategies... 4 Triggers... 4 Symptoms... 5 Notes... 5 Recording Data... 6 Record Your Core Data... 6 Record Your Stay Well Strategies... 7 Record Your Triggers... 7 Record Your Symptoms... 7 Record Notes for the Day... 8 Setting Goals... 9 To add a goal... 10 To remove a goal... 10 To edit a goal or status... 10 To reorganize your goals... 10 Customizing Your Record Fields... 11 Core Data... 11 Stay Well Strategies, Triggers and Symptoms... 13 To change the Stay Well Strategies, Triggers, or Symptoms titles... 14 To add an item... 14 To remove an item... 14 To rename an item... 15 To hide or show an item or all items... 15 To rate or unrate an item or all items... 15 To reorganize your list... 16 To save your customizations... 16
Reviewing Charts... 17 Understanding the Charts Screen... 17 Selecting A Viewing Range... 18 Selecting Start & End Dates... 18 The Main Charts Area... 19 Additional Information on the Charts... 19 Exporting Charts... 20 Reviewing Reports... 21 Understanding the Reports Screen... 21 Selecting Your Start/End Dates... 22 Exporting Reports to PDF... 22 Isolating Trends... 23 Understanding the Isolate Screen... 23 Searching Your Records... 24 Working with Isolate Templates... 25 To save a template... 25 To remove one or all templates... 25 To Use a template... 25 Examples of Isolate Searches... 26 Plan Screen... 28 Recording Your Plan... 29 Exporting Your Plan to PDF... 29 Administrative Tasks... 30 Clear Fields for the Current Day... 30 Copy Data from the Last Record... 30 Delete a Range of Data... 30 Default Charts & Report Views... 31 Changing Your Password... 31 Opting-In or Opting-Out for Research... 32 Optimism iphone / ipod Touch App... 33
About Optimism Introduction Optimism is a software application that is powerful for helping you understand your mental health. It is used in recovering from depression and other illnesses, for maintaining good health, and as a self-help tool. Optimism prompts you to keep a detailed record of all things that affect your health. By monitoring patterns in your life, you can identify negative influences that you need to avoid, early warning signs that your health is deteriorating, and the inputs and activities that benefit you most. Simple Charts highlight cause and effect relationships that you might normally miss, and you can develop a Health Plan to follow and update as you learn more about the things that positively and negatively affect you. All output can be converted to PDF. If appropriate, it can be sent to your health providers and/or care givers, to help them gain insight in helping you better. Software Assumptions The assumptions underlying the software are: No two people with a mood disorder or other illness will experience the same symptoms. They also won t respond in the same way to treatments. There are different levels of severity in illness, and biological as well as non- biological disorders. This complicates treatment enormously. Medical and psychological interventions form the backbone of treatments for many people with mood disorders or other psychological problems. Optimism Software is not a replacement for those interventions. It is intended to be integrative. Optimism is not a cure-all and it works best as part of a treatment toolkit. We always recommended that people seek professional medical advice from a qualified health professional for a mental health problem, and that this advice and treatment be ongoing. A person who is proactive about their health is likely to achieve a better outcome than someone who passively receives treatment. Optimism is a tool to help manage those proactive actions. Page 1
Overview of the Record Screen All of your entries are made on the Record screen. Data entered here forms the basis of the Charts and Reports that will help you to better understand your health. When you open Optimism the Record screen is displayed by default. The following areas of the Record screen are explained in more detail: Choosing a Day Core Data Stay Well Strategies Triggers Symptoms Notes Page 2
Choosing a Day When Optimism opens, the current day is shown by default. Using the Arrows and Today Button The arrow buttons next to the date allow you to move backward or forward one day at a time. The Today button selects the current date. To move to the Core Data screen for a previous day, select the Left arrow. Once you have moved to a previous day, you can move forward again. To move to the Core Data screen for the next day, select the Right arrow. To move to the current date, select Today. Using the Calendar Window The Calendar window allows you to go directly to a specific date, as follows: 1. Click on the Calendar button to display the Calendar window. 2. Use the arrows at top to scroll between months. 3. When you have the appropriate month and year displayed, select a date by clicking on it in the calendar. Or click the cross at top right close the Calendar window without selecting a date. Page 3
Core Data The default Core Data setup allows you to rate your mood and how well you coped for the currently selected date. It also allows you to enter the length and quality of your sleep, how long you exercised, and whether you took your medication, if applicable. You can use the Customize window to change the headings and labels to make these fields more specific to you. Note: Refer to the Customizing Data chapter for information on changing these fields. Stay Well Strategies The Stay Well Strategies section lists the things that may be beneficial to your health. The fields have been set up with lots of examples, however you can use the Customize window to change the heading and add or remove strategies to make them more specific to you. The arrows next to the listed strategies allow you to select a rating for that strategy. For example, you may regard drinking adequate water each day as a strategy for good health. The Plenty of Water rating field allows you to record the number of glasses of water consumed that day. The Stay Well Strategies and their ratings appear at the bottom of the Charts screen and on the Report. Note: Refer to the Customizing Data chapter for information on changing these fields. Triggers The Triggers section lists your triggers, or things that may make your mental health worse. The fields have been set up with lots of examples, however you can use the Customize window to change the heading and add or remove triggers to make them more specific to you. The arrows next to the listed triggers allow you to select a rating for that trigger. For example, you may regard drinking too much coffee as one of your triggers. The Caffeine Consumption rating field allows you to record the cups of coffee consumed that day. Another example is to rate the amount of Stress at Work, where 1 would be almost no stress and 10 would be extreme stress. The Triggers and their ratings appear at the bottom of the Charts screen and on the Report. Note: Refer to the Customizing Data chapter for information on changing these fields. Page 4
Symptoms The Symptoms section lists your symptoms, early warning signs or the effects of triggers that you have experienced on the selected date. Like the Stay Well Strategies and Triggers, the fields have been set up with lots of examples,. You can use the Customize window to change the heading and add or remove symptoms to make them more specific to you. The arrows next to the listed symptoms allow you to select a rating for that symptom. For example, you may record irritability, poor concentration, and loss of energy as symptoms. When comparing these items on the graph, you may find that exercise (a stay well strategy on the second graph) reduces the ratings you record for irritability and energy levels, but not your concentration level. The Symptoms and their ratings appear at the bottom of the Charts screen and on the Report. Note: Refer to the Customizing Data chapter for information on changing these fields. Notes On the Notes screen you can record goals and free-form textual notes for the currently selected date. This provides a place to record any pertinent information that is not captured elsewhere. To open the Notes screen, click on the Notes tab to the right of the second toolbar. Page 5
Recording Data With the exception of notes, all of your records are entered in the Main Entries section of the Record screen. Data entered here forms the basis of the Charts and Reports that will help you to better understand your health. If you would like to copy your data from the previous date, select the Fill toolbar button. You can adjust any fields that are different from the previous day if needed. If you change your mind and want to start with no data for the current date, select the Clear toolbar button. The general process for recording data includes the following steps. Each step is explained in the expanded sections. 1. Record Your Core Data, including your mood, how well you coped, how long you exercised, the quality and length of your sleep, and whether you took your medication (if applicable). 2. Record Your Stay Well Strategies that apply for the day, and if applicable, a rating for each item. 3. Record Your Triggers that apply for the day, and if applicable, a rating for each item. 4. Record Your Symptoms that apply for the day, and if applicable, a rating for each item. 5. Record Notes for the Day, if desired, to record further information about your day. Record Your Core Data The Core Data section of the screen is used to quantify a number of important items each day. To complete or edit this area: 1. Record your mood during the day by selecting a number from 0 to 10 for Rate Your Mood Today. 0 indicates Very Depressed and 10 indicates Very Elevated. 2. Record how well you coped during the day by selecting a number from 0 to 10 for Rate How Well You Coped Today. 0 indicates Not at All Well and 10 indicates Very Well. 3. Record the quality of your sleep for the previous night by selecting a number from 0 to 10 for Rate the Quality of Your Sleep. 0 indicates Very Poor and 10 indicates Great Sleep. Page 6
4. Record How Long Did You Exercise Today? by selecting a time from 0 to 60 minutes or more. On the sliders you can click on a number or drag the pointer to select a number. 5. Record the number of hours you slept the previous night, plus any daytime sleeps for the current day in the How Many Hours Did You Sleep? field. You can enter the number of hours or use the up and down arrows to select the correct number. 6. Select the Yes, No or N/A button for the Did You Take Your Medications? field. Record Your Stay Well Strategies The Stay Well Strategies that you check are displayed at the bottom of charts and on reports for the current date. 1. To record that a Stay Well Strategy applied on the selected date, click the box next to the relevant item. Click the box again to clear it. 2. Click the arrow to the left of an item and select a number, to record a rating for that strategy. The default is None. Record Your Triggers The Triggers that you check are displayed at the bottom of charts and reports for the current date. 1. To record that a Trigger applied on the selected date, click the box next to the relevant item. Click the box again to clear it. 2. Click the arrow to the left of an item and select a number, to record a rating for that strategy. The default is None. Record Your Symptoms The Symptoms that you check are displayed at the bottom of charts and reports for the current date. 1. To record that a Symptom applied on the selected date, click the box next to the relevant item. Click the box again to clear it. 2. Click the arrow to the left of an item and select a number, to record a rating for that strategy. The default is None. Page 7
Record Notes for the Day The Notes area allows you to record additional information that may be useful for understanding your health choices on the current date. 1. Click on the Notes button to display the Notes screen. 2. Click in the empty text box under Notes for Today and enter the text you want to include for the current date. You can use cut, copy and paste if desired. Page 8
Setting Goals The Notes screen allows you to record short-term and long-term goals to help monitor progress with your health. To open the Notes screen, click on the Notes button on the left of the screen. Use the Notes screen for the following procedures: To add a goal To remove a goal To edit a goal or status To reorganize your goals Page 9
To add a goal 1. Select the plus icon under the list of Short-Term Goals or Long-Term goals or doubleclick on the interface to add a new goal. 2. Double-click on the Status column to make an entry in this field. The status might be a priority (urgent, not urgent, etc), active or inactive, or to indicate progress. Losing weight might be a goal, with the amount lost so far as the status. To remove a goal 1. Highlight the goal you want to remove. 2. Select the minus icon under the list of Short-Term Goals or under the list of Long-Term goals to remove the goal. To edit a goal or status Double-click on a goal or status to edit the text. To reorganize your goals Highlight the goal you want to move. Select Move Up or Move down. Page 10
Customizing Your Record Fields The Customize window allows you to customize items in the Core Data, Stay Well Strategies, Triggers, and Symptoms areas of the application. To open the Customize window, click on the Customize button in the header area. Core Data The Core Data tab of the Customize window is shown below. Page 11
The following table explains the fields that can be customized. The order of the fields on the Record screen interface and the types of fields available are fixed. Field Name Description Max Length Long Title Short Title Titles of Core Data fields on the Record screen and filters in the Isolate screen. Legend descriptions at the top of the Charts screen and titles on mobile app Core Data screens 32 18 Abbreviation Vertical Axis on the top Chart on the Charts screen 8 Labels Labels (Radio Buttons) Left and Right labels under sliders in the Core Data section of the Record screen Labels for the bottom radio button field in the Core Data section 20 8 Page 12
Stay Well Strategies, Triggers and Symptoms A sample Customize tab for the Stay Well Strategies area is shown below. Use the Custom window for the following procedures: To change the Stay Well Strategies, Triggers, or Symptoms titles To add an item To remove an item To rename an item To hide or show an item or all items To rate or unrate an item or all items To reorganize your list To save your customizations Page 13
To change the Stay Well Strategies, Triggers, or Symptoms titles Highlight the text in the Title field and enter a new title. To add an item 1. Click the Plus (+) icon to insert a new field. Optimism adds the new field below the selected item. 2. Enter the name of the new item. To remove an item 1. Highlight the item in the list that you want to remove and select Remove. If there is past data stored for this item, the software displays a warning message. 2. Click Continue to remove the records permanently, or click Cancel to close the warning without removing the selected field. Page 14
To rename an item 1. Click on the item in the list that you want to rename to highlight it and select Rename. If there is data for an item you want to rename, Optimism displays a warning message. 2. Click Continue to rename the selected item or Cancel to close the warning message without renaming. 3. On continuing, Optimism highlights the name of the selected item. Enter the new name. To hide or show an item or all items Items can be shown or hidden on the Core Data screen. The option to hide an item differs from the Remove option, because any data you have entered for that item is not deleted. Check the box to the left of the item name to show it on the Core Data screen and collect data for that item. Uncheck the box to the left of the item name to hide it from the Core Data screen. Data will not be collected for that item going forward, but any data already collected will be retained and displayed on the Charts or reports. To show all items, click the Select All button. To rate or unrate an item or all items An arrow can be shown on the Core Data screen next to a field, which you can use to choose a number to rate the selected item. To show the rating option on the Core Data screen for an item, check the box to the right of the item name. To hide the rating option, uncheck the box to the right of the item name. To show the rating option for all items, click the Rate All button. To hide the rating option for all items, click the Unrate All button. (If all boxes aren t checked you will need to Rate all first, then the button will change to Unrate all ). Page 15
To reorganize your list Highlight an item in the list that you want to move and select Move Up or Move Down. To save your customizations Select OK on the Customize window to save your changes, or click Cancel to close the Customize window without saving your changes. Page 16
Reviewing Charts Charts provide a visual summary of the information entered on the Record screen. By scrolling across dates you can get a snapshot of how your responses have changed over time. Understanding the Charts Screen The Charts screen is the where you can view the big picture of your data over a period of time to help you better understand your health. To open the Charts screen click on the Charts tab. A sample Charts screen is shown below. Page 17
Selecting A Viewing Range The previous one month of data is displayed by default. You can change the default in the Options screen. Refer to the Setting Preferences topic for more information. To change the range of dates displaying on the Charts click the Chart Duration button at top and select a new option from the drop down list. The options are: 2 weeks 4 week 1 Calendar Month 3 Calendar Months 6 Calendar Months All Data Free Range (up to 41 days) Note: The 3 Calendar Months, 6 Calendar Months, and All Data options are an overview. These charts do not include all of the details available in the shorter date range charts. The Free Range chart allows you to view the maximum number of records (41) with the notes and icons showing. Selecting Start & End Dates You can select a new start or end date at any time. To select the first date period available in your data, click the double left arrow to the left of the Start Date. To scroll back one date period at a time, select the single left arrow to the left of the Start Date. To select a start date for the period using the Calendar, click on the date itself to open the Calendar window. To select the last date range available in your data, select the double right arrow to the right of the End Date. To scroll forward one date period at a time, select the single right arrow to the right of the End Date. Page 18
To select an end date using the Calendar, click on the date itself to open the Calendar window. Note: The back and forward arrows move according the selected range. For example if you have 1 Calendar Month Charts selected, the back arrow will move back one calendar month. The Main Charts Area The first set of charts represents your ability to cope, your mood, and how much exercise you logged on each day (assuming the default core fields). The second set of charts represents the quality and amount of sleep you logged on each day. You can move your mouse over a bar or line graph to see the individual ratings for each item on each day. Additional Information on the Charts The following additional information is shown at the bottom of the Charts screen: The date The day of the week A pencil icon if you have recorded notes for that day. Click this icon to view the notes. A star or pill icon if you have recorded taking medication for that day. A note icon to view the Stay Well Strategies, Triggers, and Symptoms and their ratings for that day. Click this icon to view these entries, as shown below. Page 19
Exporting Charts To export charts for the selected range of dates displayed in your Charts screen, use the following procedure. 1. Select the PDF icon and when the Charts have finished being generated click Download. 2. Navigate to the location on your computer where you want to save your file. 3. Enter a new File Name if desired. 4. Select Save. Page 20
Reviewing Reports Understanding the Reports Screen The Report screen displays the data in a written form that is helpful for analyzing how your triggers are affecting your health, and which wellness strategies are helping you most. If applicable you might email a PDF of your reports or take a hard copy to appointments with your health care provider. This can provide them with a much more detailed picture of your health, and more effective treatment. To open the Reports screen click on the Reports tab. Page 21
Selecting Your Start/End Dates You can select a new start or end date for your report at any time. The icons on the left allow you to choose a start date. The icons on the right allow you to choose an end date. To scroll forward or back one day at a time, select the single left or right arrow next to the Start Date or the End Date. To select a start date or end date from the Calendar window select the Calendar button. Exporting Reports to PDF To export a report for the selected range of dates displayed in your Report screen, use the following procedure. 1. Select the PDF icon and when the Report has finished being generated click Download. 2. Navigate to the location on your computer where you want to save your file. 3. Enter a new File Name if desired. 4. Select Save. Page 22
Isolating Trends The Isolate screen is an interface for you to quickly filter your data. It helps you to discover patterns in your records more easily and examine areas of interest to you. Understanding the Isolate Screen You can use the Isolate screen to filter your database using any field in which you have recorded entries. This includes the sliders for mood, sleep and exercise, ratings on fields under Stay Well Strategies, Triggers and Symptoms, and text in the Notes for Today area. You also can filter your records with additional criteria for the day before and day after, making it easier to find patterns in your health. To open the Isolate screen, click on the Isolate tab. Page 23
Searching Your Records You can search or filter your records for a number of criteria that interest you, for example to look for trends or drastic changes from day to day. The results include links to other screens to further examine your data. To use the Isolate screen to filter your data, complete the following steps. 1. Select Match All or Match Any to indicate whether multiple criteria should be found together or separately. 2. Enter the first criteria. Rate Your Mood Today is selected by default, but you can choose any of the other options from the drop down list. 3. If the criteria you selected is Stay Well Strategies, Triggers, or Symptoms, select the particular item you want to track from the drop down list. This extra field is not visible for the other criteria. 4. Enter the type of qualification for the first criteria by selecting an option from the drop down list. The options include greater than, less than, is, is not, or contains, depending on the selection. 5. Enter the qualification for the first criteria by selecting an option from the drop down list. If you selected Notes as the criteria, enter the text you want to use as a filter. 6. To expand the criteria, select the arrow icon and: Select the criteria, qualification, and rating for the Day Before. Select the criteria, qualification, and rating for the Day After. 8. To hide the expanded criteria fields, select the arrow icon again. 9. To add more filters to the search, select the Add Criteria button. Repeat steps 4, 5, 6, 7, and if desired, 8 for each new criteria. To remove a filter from the search, select the Minus sign next to the criteria you want to remove. 10. Select Search. Optimism lists any dates that match the selected criteria. Each date includes a link to the Record screen, the Charts screen, and the Report screen for that date. Click on these links to examine the results. Page 24
Working with Isolate Templates If you are tracking a particular feature of your Optimism data, you may want to save a template of your search to periodically examine the effects of that data. A template allows you to repeat a previous search without having to set up the search criteria again. To save a template 1. Set the criteria you want to save on the Isolate screen. 2. Select the Save Search button. 3. Enter a name for your search template in the Save Search window. 4. Select Save. To remove one or all templates 1. Select the Load Search button. 2. Highlight the template you want to remove and select Delete or Rename. 3. Select Done to close the Template screen. To Use a template 1. Select the Load Search button. 1. Select the template you want to use from the list of saved templates. 2. Select Load Search. Page 25
Examples of Isolate Searches 1. The following simple example displays all records where mood < 5. 2. In the next example, records are displayed where mood is less than 6 and on the previous day mood is greater than 6. This takes the first example a step further, by identifying a sizable drop in mood from the previous day. Page 26
3. In the next example, the records are filtered for consecutive days in which sleep was less than 6 hours. This might be a starting point for looking into the effect of sleep on mood. 4. The Isolate filter can be used to search the text entered into the Notes for Today field. In the following example, results are shown for records where the Anger item in the Symptoms section has been checked or the words angry or anger has been used in the Notes screen. A search like this might be helpful in investigating causes of the anger. Page 27
Plan Screen The Plan screen is a place to bring together your understanding of your health, in a strategy for ongoing wellness. By recording the things that impact you each day, positive and negative, and working out the relationships, you can make decisions about the things that you need to manage better in your life. You can record those decisions on the Plan screen. The Plan is intended to be a dynamic document, to be changed over time as you come to better understand the different factors that affect your health. You might consider completing it and then keeping it up to date at each appointment with your health provider. To open the Plan screen, click the Plan tab. Page 28
Recording Your Plan The 5 planning sections are shown by default. 1. If desired, select one of the small plus (+) icons at the top right of the text boxes to view a single section in a larger view. 2. Enter text in each area. You can cut, copy, and paste text as needed. It is helpful to be very specific with your entries on this page. For example, you could specify the names and phone numbers of your health professionals, or how many hours of sleep a day you need to remain well. The key thing to remember is that this is an evolving document and you will need to change it over time as your health changes. Exporting Your Plan to PDF To export your Plan use the following procedure. 1. Select the PDF icon and when the Plan has finished being generated click Download. 2. Navigate to the location on your computer where you want to save your file. 3. Enter a new File Name if desired. 4. Select Save. Page 29
Administrative Tasks This chapter explains administrative tasks in using Optimism. Clear Fields for the Current Day If you need to change data you have entered for the currently selected date, you can clear the entire record and start over. To do this select the Clear Fields button. Copy Data from the Last Record If you want to simplify entering data by repeating the previous day s entries, you can copy the previous record and edit it as needed. To do this select the Fill From Last button. Delete a Range of Data If you need to change data you have entered for more than one date, you can clear the whole date range and start over. Use the following procedure. 1. Select the Delete Range button. Optimism opens the Remove Data window. 2. Select Calendar to open the Calendar window and select the start and/or end date for the date range you want to remove. 3. Select Remove to clear the data. Or select Cancel to close the Remove Data window without removing any records. Page 30
Default Charts & Report Views To change the default periods showing on the Report and Charts open the Options window by selecting the Options button. The Default number of days to show on reports field indicates the initial number of days to show (or export) when you are viewing reports. Enter a new number or use the up and down arrows to adjust the current number. The Default view of Charts screen field indicates the initial time period to view when opening the Charts screen. Select an item from the drop down list to change the default view. Select Save Changes to save your new preferences or Cancel to close the Options window without saving your changes. Changing Your Password You can change your password in the Options window. Enter your old and new passwords in the relevant fields. Select Save Changes to save the new password or select Cancel to close the Options window without saving your changes. Page 31
Opting-In or Opting-Out for Research The developer of the software, Optimism Apps, is committed to contributing to mental health research. It is able to do this by collecting anonymous data for scientific research studies. The data collected does not include text records, namely entries in the Notes or Plan screens. If you are willing to provide permission for this use then click Yes to the statement I give permission for the use of my data for research. On selecting the Save Changes button a Research window will open, as shown below. Select entries in the Research window using the drop-down lists. To exit the window without saving entries select Cancel. To withdraw your permission for research use, click No in the Options window and select the Save Changes button. Page 32
Optimism iphone / ipod Touch App A free iphone / ipod Touch app is available for convenient entry of records to the web app database. To download the app visit http://itunes.com/app/optimism. A separate User Guide is available for the iphone / ipod Touch App at: http://www.findingoptimism.com/mobile/userguide.php Ends. Page 33