CALM: Continuous Anger Level Monitoring

Background

Veterans returning from combat may suffer from difficulties sleeping and controlling intense emotions. Anger Management Therapy (AMT) is a 12-week therapy offered at Veterans Affairs Medical Centers throughout the U.S., and is based on a manual developed by Reilly and Shropshire (2000) that specifically addresses anger control issues. AMT is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy with a focus on increased awareness of cues, triggers and individual coping strategies.

SIFT Approach

Continuous Anger Level Monitoring (CALM) is an advanced smartphone application addressing the needs of persons struggling with emotional control problems, including veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The application combines physiological monitoring heart rate variability, galvanic skin response, and breathing with the evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy AMT. The application is designed to integrate with AMT while offering actionable information to healthcare providers as well as providing feedback to patients. CALM allows the user to record highly stressful events with just a few touches, which helps to identify behaviors and patterns by creating awareness around one's own actions, cues, triggers and coping strategies. The application integrates with the Zephyr BioHarness BT belt to allow for continuous physiological monitoring, biofeedback and breathing exercises. The project is supported by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) and the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC). A non-medical version can be used by the general population.

Benefits

  • Enhances AMT with technology that allows in-the-moment recording of anger events
  • Provides feedback and visualizations of behavioral patterns
  • Integrates physiological monitoring, biofeedback and breathing exercises to further advance therapeutic progress
  • Offers metrics to therapists outside of therapy sessions, helping to address objective, real-world situations
  • Cost effective, wireless and can be used remotely

Contact

Sonja Schmer-Galunder
sgalunder at sift dot net