Methods for tracking and responding to mental health changes in a user

Abstract

One variation of a method for tracking and responding to mental health changes in a user, the method includes: rendering a graphical object within a graphical user interface; indexing an emotion value assigned to the graphical object through a spectrum of emotion values according to a direction of an input into the graphical user interface; within the graphical user interface, updating the graphical object to visually correspond to the emotion value assigned to the graphical object; recording submission of a final emotion value through the graphical user interface; and in response to the final emotion value equaling a trigger value, distributing a prompt to monitor the user to an external entity.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A method for tracking and responding to mental health changes in a user, the method comprising:
 rendering a graphical object within a graphical user interface;   indexing an emotion value assigned to the graphical object through a spectrum of emotion values according to a direction of an input into the graphical user interface;   within the graphical user interface, updating the graphical object to visually correspond to the emotion value assigned to the graphical object;   recording submission of a final emotion value through the graphical user interface; and   in response to the final emotion value equaling a trigger value, distributing a prompt to an external entity to monitor the user.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 :
 wherein indexing the emotion value through the spectrum of emotion values comprises:
 indexing the emotion value forward through a set of integers from “1” through “10,” inclusive, in response to a swipe input in a first direction into the graphical user interface; and 
 indexing the emotion value backward through the set of integers in response to a swipe input in a second direction into the graphical user interface, the second direction opposite the first direction; and 
   wherein updating the graphical object within the graphical user interface comprises updating the graphic object to show a particular integer, from the set of integers, corresponding to a current emotion value selected by the user through a sequence of swipe inputs into the graphical user interface.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 :
 wherein rendering the graphical object within a graphical user interface comprises rendering a virtual sphere within the graphical user interface; and   wherein updating the graphical object within the graphical user interface comprises rendering the virtual sphere in a warmer color and in an increasingly amorphous form in response to selection of emotion values corresponding to increasingly content states of the user.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein distributing the prompt to the external entity to monitor the user comprises:
 communicating a first prompt to monitor the user to a computing device associated with a therapist affiliated with the user in response to the final emotion value equaling a first trigger value of “1”; and   pushing a notification to interact with the user to a computing device associated with a known contact of the user in response to the final emotion value equaling a second trigger value of “2.”   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 ,
 wherein indexing the emotion value comprises:
 pseudorandomly assigning an initial emotion value, in a spectrum of emotion values corresponding to unique contentment states of the user, to the graphical object; and 
 indexing through the spectrum of number values in a loop according to a sequence of inputs into the graphical user interface; and 
   further comprising characterizing an integrity of the final emotion value based on a number of inputs over the graphical object preceding selection of the final emotion value.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 :
 wherein rendering the graphical object within the graphical user interface comprises accessing an alternate digital keyboard within a native textual communication application executing on a mobile computing device and rendering the graphical object within a message preview area of the alternate digital keyboard;   wherein indexing the emotion value assigned to the graphical object comprises indexing the emotion value represented on the graphical object in response to and in a direction corresponding to a swipe input over the message preview area;   further comprising transmitting the graphical object to a recipient selected in the native textual communication application in response to receipt of a command at the native textual communication application to send the graphical object to the recipient; and   withholding the final emotion value from the external entity in response to the final emotion value differing from the trigger value.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 ,
 further comprising, prior to rendering the graphical object within the graphical user interface, prompting the user to populate a support group with a set of contacts;   wherein accessing the alternate digital keyboard comprises accessing the alternate digital keyboard in replacement of an alphanumeric keyboard within a native text messaging application executing on the mobile computing device;   wherein distributing the prompt to the external entity comprises recording a final emotion value selected by the user within the native text messaging application to a database of emotion values entered by the user and transmitting a form of the final emotion value and an identifier of the user to the external entity comprising a mental health representative in response to the final emotion value equaling the trigger value; and   further comprising communicating a form of the final emotion value to a contact specified in the support group and distinct from the recipient in response to the final emotion value exceeding the trigger value and a threshold intervention value exceeding the final emotion value.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 ,
 wherein rendering the graphical object within the graphical user interface comprises accessing an alternate digital keyboard within a native online social networking application executing on a mobile computing device and rendering the graphical object within a message preview area of the alternate digital keyboard;   wherein updating the graphical object to visually correspond to the emotion value assigned to the graphical object comprises updating a visual form of the graphical object within the preview area to correspond to the emotion value in response to the input into the graphical user interface;   further comprising posting the graphical object to a social feed within an online social network in response to receipt of a command at the native online social networking application to post the graphical object to the online social network; and   wherein distributing the prompt to the external entity comprises communicating the prompt to a contact previously affiliated with the user in response to the final emotion value equaling the trigger value, the prompt directing the contact to the social feed.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 :
 wherein rendering the graphical object within the graphical user interface comprises rendering the graphical object within a lock screen on a mobile computing device;   further comprising, in response to entry of a correct passcode into the lock screen on the mobile computing device, recording a final emotion value selected by the user to a database of emotion values entered by the user; and   wherein distributing the prompt to the external entity comprises distributing the prompt to contact the user to the external entity in response to a final emotion value, entered through the lock screen upon receipt of the correct passcode, equaling the trigger value.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising gating access to an application through a computing device executing the graphical user interface until a final emotion value is selected by the user and submitted through the graphical user interface. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 :
 wherein gating access to the application comprises restricting access to an employer-issued checklist until the final emotion value is selected by the user and submitted through the graphical user interface; and   wherein distributing the prompt to monitor the user to the external entity comprises communicating the final emotion value and an identifier of the user to a mental health professional affiliated with the employer in response to the final emotion value equaling the trigger value.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 ,
 further comprising receiving a first category label for the final emotion value and storing the final emotion value with the first category label;   wherein distributing the prompt to monitor the user to the external entity comprises prompting a member of a first support group affiliated with the user and associated with the first category label to contact the user in response to the final emotion value equaling the trigger value for the first category label;   further comprising recording submission of a second emotion value through the graphical user interface, receiving a second category label different from the first category label for the second emotion value, and storing the second emotion value with the second category label; and   prompting a member of a second support group affiliated with the user and associated with the second category label to contact the user   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 :
 wherein receiving the first category label for the final emotion value comprises receiving the first category label corresponding to an overall emotional state of the user; and   wherein receiving the second category label for the second emotion value comprises receiving the second category label corresponding to one of: perceived financial comfort, perceived relationship comfort, perceived sleep quality, perceived anxiety level, perceived anger level, and perceived physical health of the user.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 :
 further comprising storing a location of a computing device executing the graphical user interface at an approximate time the final emotion value was entered by the user; and   wherein distributing the prompt to monitor the user to the external entity comprises dispatching an emergency responder to the location in response to the final emotion value equaling the trigger value corresponding to a low state of contentment.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 quantifying an emotional stability of the user based on the final emotion value and emotion values previously entered by the user; and   customizing the trigger value for the user based on the emotional stability of the user.   
     
     
         16 . A method for tracking and responding to mental health changes in a user, the method comprising:
 rendering a graphical object within a graphical user interface;   indexing an emotion value assigned to the graphical object according to a direction of a swipe input over the graphical object within the graphical user interface;   updating a color value and a virtual viscosity of the graphical object to correspond to the emotion value assigned to the graphical object;   distributing a dynamic visual object, representing the graphical object in a color value and a virtual viscosity corresponding to a final emotion value selected by the user, to a first recipient elected by the user;   in response to the final emotion value equaling a first trigger value, prompting a second recipient to contact the user; and   in response to the final emotion value equaling a second trigger value representing a less content state of the user than the first trigger value, distributing the final emotion value to a mental health entity.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein prompting a second recipient to contact the user comprises prompting the second recipient to send a song to a computing device affiliated with the user through a digital music service. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein prompting a second recipient to contact the user comprises sending, to the second recipient, a notification comprising a link to an online florist and a prompt to send flowers to the user. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 :
 wherein indexing an emotion value assigned to the graphical object comprises indexing the emotion value forward through a set of integers from “1” through “10,” inclusive, in response to a swipe input in a first direction into the graphical user interface and indexing the emotion value backward through the set of integers in response to a swipe input in a second direction into the graphical user interface, the second direction opposite the first direction   wherein distributing the dynamic visual object to the first recipient elected by the user comprises transmitting a digital file containing the dynamic visual object representing the graphical object to the recipient through a private messaging channel;   wherein prompting the second recipient to contact the user comprises transmitting a prompt to the second recipient comprising a member of a support group associated with the user and other than the first recipient in response to the final emotion value equaling the first trigger value contained within the set of integers; and   wherein distributing the final emotion value to the mental health entity comprises notifying a mental health professional of the emotion value entered by the user in response to the final emotion value equaling the second trigger value contained within the set of integers.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 :
 wherein prompting the second recipient to contact the user comprises pushing a notification to the second recipient, specified in a support group affiliated with the user, to show concern for the user in response to the final emotion value equaling the first trigger value; and   further comprising revealing a second emotion value, previously submitted by the second recipient through a second graphical user interface executing on a second computing device, to the user at the graphical user interface in response to receipt of the final emotion value from the user.   
     
     
         21 . A method for tracking and responding to mental health changes in a user, the method comprising:
 at a computing device linked to the user, receiving an emotion value, on a spectrum of emotion values, selected by the user;   recording the emotion value in a database of emotion values entered by the user;   enabling access to a process on the computing device in response to receipt of the emotion value; and   in response to the emotion value equaling a trigger value corresponding to a low state of contentment, distributing a second prompt to a mental health representative to monitor the user.