MoodFX – now retired

MoodFX has been officially retired as of April 17, 2026.

Originally developed by Dr. Raymond Lam and his team at the Mood Disorders Centre and UBC’s former eHealth Strategy Office in 2014, MoodFX (pronounced Mood Effects), was one of the first e-Health tools designed for people with depression to better manage their condition. MoodFX.ca was a free, interactive website optimized for mobile devices that helped people with depression monitor their symptoms, evaluate their functioning at work and home, learn self-management tips, and collaborate with their care providers to achieve better treatment outcomes.

Thousands of users have accessed MoodFX over the past decade with high satisfaction ratings and stirring testimonials. A randomized evaluation of MoodFX published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry  in 2024 found that MoodFX users had greater improvement in depressive symptoms over the course of 6 months compared to a health information web site.

The MoodFX self-management tips are still available on this site at MoodFX Tips. For those interested in mood and symptom tracking for measurement-based care, we recommend using the iOS Health app, which now includes the PHQ-9 (for depressive symptoms) and the GAD-7 (for anxiety symptoms).

Background

With MoodFX, users were able to:

  • Screen for symptoms of depression and anxiety, and for problems with cognition and work functioning.
  • Track their symptoms when starting a new treatment for depression.
  • Set reminders to check symptoms regularly and before appointments.
  • Print, email, or show results to their doctor right on their mobile device.
  • View their past results and progress over time with simple charts.
  • Receive helpful tips for managing depression, anxiety, and difficulties with cognition and work stress.
  • Monitor for the return of any symptoms once they are feeling better.

MoodFx logo       dual screen 4

 

Read the original release article about MoodFX here.

MoodFX Survey Results

We conducted a survey from the first 64 users of MoodFX, with results summarized in this presentation by Dr. Lam.
Overall, 70% of users agreed or strongly agreed that MoodFX was helpful for them.

Dr. Lam, MoodFX Survey 2015

A randomized controlled trial (RCT) shows effectiveness of MoodFX to improve depression outcomes

Li VW, Sahota J, Dev DK, Gill DD, Evans VC, Axler A, Chakrabarty T, Do A, Keramatian K, Nunez JJ, Tam EM, Yatham LN, Michalak EE, Murphy JK, Lam RW. A randomized evaluation of MoodFX, a patient-centred e-health tool to support outcome measurement for depression. Can J Psychiatry. 2024 Jul;69(7):493-502.

E-health tools may be useful for measuring and tracking symptoms and other outcomes during treatment for depression. This study is a randomized evaluation of MoodFX, a free web-based app that helps patients track their symptoms using validated questionnaires, and also offers depression information and self-management tips. A total of 49 participants with clinical depression were randomized to using MoodFX or a health information website, for 6 months. In a survey, the participants that used MoodFX found it easy and useful to use. In addition, the participants that used MoodFX had greater improvement in depressive symptoms after 6 months, compared to those who used the health information website. These results suggest that MoodFX may be a useful tool to monitor outcomes and support depression treatment.

Last updated on April 16, 2026 @2:28 pm