Introducing Aware

The Importance of Studying PTSD

An estimated 8 million people a year have Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). That’s equivalent to the entire state population of Virginia.

You might think that PTSD only affects people who have served in the military. Not true.

Veterans, women, refugees, rescue workers, and folks living in communities that experience high levels of violence are more likely to experience PTSD than the average person, but anyone who experiences or witnesses a traumatic event could potentially face symptoms.

PTSD can have a dramatic effect on a person’s life. People may experience symptoms of intrusion, avoidance, alterations in arousal or reactivity, and negative alterations in cognitions and mood. Not to mention, PTSD also overlaps with symptoms of depression and anxiety, and can negatively impact relationships, employment, physical health, and sleep. PTSD is a critical social and public health issue that must be addressed not only for the individual experiencing PTSD but also their families.

Today there are effective, evidence-based treatments for PTSD, but barriers, like mental health stigma and lack of access to mental health care providers, make it difficult for everyone who needs help to receive it. It’s important to find ways to reach people wherever they are, whenever they need help.

New mobile technologies are also allowing researchers to better understand how to develop and deliver scalable tools and strategies for helping people manage PTSD symptoms and related conditions.

This is why we’re so excited to introduce Aware!

Aware will be one of the newest and largest mobile health studies to track the relationship between mood and PTSD symptoms. Aware is being developed in partnership with the National Center for PTSD and Overlap as part of the Mood Challenge, a competition funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

How does Aware work?

We are looking for anyone 18 years of age or older, who owns an iPhone (the Android version of Aware will be available later this year).

You do not need to have a PTSD diagnosis, or currently be experiencing symptoms of PTSD to help us test the Aware app. One of the goals of this project is to better understand how patterns in mood could be used to differentiate between people who are experiencing PTSD symptoms and those who are not. We also want to find the best and simplest ways to measure mood without lots of long, tedious questionnaires.

In order to do that, we need to have as many different people as possible — some with symptoms of PTSD, and some without. No other special devices are required, you won’t receive any extra emails, you won’t have to go to any outside websites to complete questionnaires, and no need to go to a doctor’s office or research lab to participate. Everything you’ll need is contained within the Aware app. This access and availability is a strength of mobile health research, particularly ResearchKit apps. Apps can make participation in research and evaluation much more widely available, and not just limited to people who live near universities or research centers. Also, stigma around mental health can be a barrier to participating in research.

Participating via a mobile app is a discreet and convenient way for people to evaluate products and contribute to science.

Still interested?

Because this is a limited beta program, you will simply sign up with your email address at awarestudy.org and download the Aware app via Testflight, an online service for testing mobile apps.

On the day you download the app, you’ll be asked to answer some basic demographic questions and questions about PTSD symptoms. Over the next 28 days, you’ll be asked to rate your mood twice a day, using photography. After rating your mood, Aware will then offer some type of insight to help boost your mood. You’ll be asked to rate the insight, so we can learn which insights are most helpful, and which are not. If you are willing, you can also share other information from your phone, like location.

Why is Aware special?

Once we’ve completed the beta testing, we believe this study has the potential to reach thousands of people, both those with PTSD and without, to help researchers uncover key patterns in mood and PTSD symptoms. It could also help researchers create unique micro-interventions that might benefit millions of individuals living with PTSD.

Help us find the best ways to measure mood by just using your mobile phone! Your contributions could benefit millions and enable people to live happier, healthier lives.

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Aware will be launching its beta and space in this test version is limited, so sign up today to participate.