Recall bias
Looking back, people systematically remember their own course in a distorted way — memory is unreliable.
DIGITAL HEALTH APPLICATION
PHASE
The course memory for bipolar disorder.
From flying blind to proactively managing the course.
The course of the illness is tracked continuously, made visible, usable and shareable — a basis for acting early.
UNDERSTANDING BIPOLAR DISORDER
More than mood swings.
In bipolar disorder, phases of extreme elation or restlessness alternate with deep depression – often lasting weeks or months. Around 2.5 million people in Germany are affected, and it takes 8 to 10 years on average until the correct diagnosis.1
Understand the conditionThe problem: bipolar disorder is treated while flying blind.
The illness unfolds over time — knowledge about its course does not.
Lack of insight
Especially during (hypo)mania, the change is hard to notice from the inside.
Scattered data
Information is spread across doctors, clinics, therapists and family and friends.
Reactive care
Treatment focuses on the crisis, not the time before it — with long feedback loops.
Individual early warning signs
Generic warning signs miss the personal pattern in the short window of time.
High relapse burden
Every episode carries risk and social as well as financial harm.
THE CARE GAP
26 of 56
apps on prescription are aimed at mental illnesses.
0
of them are aimed at bipolar disorder.
Since 2019, DiGA (digital health applications that can be prescribed in Germany) have been available. Many help with depression or anxiety. For people with bipolar disorder, there are none so far. This is shown by a review in the journal Der Nervenarzt (2025).
To the analysis More about the condition →As of September 2026 · Source: BfArM DiGA directory; Der Nervenarzt 2025
The solution: PHASE
Help us make PHASE better
Are you affected yourself, supporting someone, or working in treatment? Your opinion helps us develop PHASE so that it really works in everyday life. The survey takes about 3 minutes and is anonymous.
Take the surveyBenefits for everyone involved.
One tool, four perspectives — connected by the same course memory.
Connected through the trialogue: the same course memory, shared in fine detail by the person affected — outside observation as an additional early sign, and it can be withdrawn at any time.
TRUST
Well-founded and secure.
Guideline-oriented.
PHASE follows the German S3 guideline on bipolar disorder — down to the scale and wording.
About the scientific basisYour data. Your decision.
At PHASE, data protection is part of development from the start. Our benchmark is the requirements for digital health applications.
About privacy & securityThinking bigger.
Individual early warning models
The system learns the personal prodromal signature from the person's own archive.
Digital biomarkers
Validated course markers instead of one-off self-reports.
Considering comorbidities
ADHD, anxiety disorders and substance use often occur together and shape the course.
Research value
Anonymised and based on consent, a valuable basis for health services research.
PHASE
The people behind PHASE
Who develops PHASE — and who supports the project clinically and scientifically.
FOUNDING TEAM
USER PERSPECTIVE & STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT
Felix has experienced bipolar disorder up close for many years — and with it, how often it is treated while flying blind. Early warning signs are missed, memories become distorted, and knowledge about the course is scattered across doctors, clinics and family and friends. His vision: that people with bipolar disorder are not only seen in a crisis, but already when it starts to show.
CTO & SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE
FAMILY MEMBER
As technical co-founder, Jonas is responsible for the technical development of PHASE. His focus is a stable, secure and scalable foundation.
LICENSED PSYCHOTHERAPIST · CLINICAL ADVISOR
EXPERT FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS
As a licensed psychotherapist, Katharina brings the therapeutic perspective into the development of PHASE. She helps make sure features and user guidance fit everyday life and connect well with therapy.
MEDICAL ADVICE
SPECIALIST IN PSYCHIATRY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY
HEAD PHYSICIAN KBO-LECH-MANGFALL-KLINIKEN · BOARD MEMBER DGBS
CLINICAL & SCIENTIFIC NETWORK
SENIOR PHYSICIAN · UNIVERSITÄTSKLINIKUM WÜRZBURG (UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL WÜRZBURG)
Supporting the planned clinical pilot of PHASE.
PSYCHOLOGIST · UNIVERSITÄTSKLINIKUM WÜRZBURG
Scientific support as part of a doctoral project.
In 2026, PHASE has its own stand at the annual conference of the DGBS (German Society for Bipolar Disorders), exchanging ideas with people affected, family and friends, clinicians and researchers.
PHASE
SUPPORT
We need your support!
Help make the course memory for bipolar disorder a reality.
PHASE is being built right now — without a big corporation behind it. The prototype works and is used every day. Now it's time for the next step.
OUR PATH — AND WHAT WE NEED IT FOR
Prototype
in daily use
ERREICHT
ERREICHT
Pilot study
20–40 users
Startet demnächst
Startet demnächst
Approval as a medical device
Available to patients
Geplant 2027
Geplant 2027
Approval for health insurance coverage
Standard care
Geplant 2028
Geplant 2028
Platform
further stages
Ab 2028
Ab 2028
Your contribution funds the next app version and the pilot with real users — the next concrete step towards care.
Become a supporter now
Every contribution counts! No matter how big it turns out to be.
Questions, ideas or interested in the pilot? Write to us.
Get in touchFREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What you should know.
Who is PHASE for?
For people with bipolar disorder who want to understand their course better — and for everyone who supports them: clinicians and family and friends. What anyone sees is always decided by the person whose course it is.
Does PHASE make diagnoses?
No. PHASE makes your course visible and describes connections. The AI companions do not make diagnoses or medical decisions. Interpreting the data always stays with you and your clinicians.
Does PHASE replace my therapy or my medication?
No. PHASE supports treatment but does not replace talking to doctors or therapists, nor medication. Never change your medication because of the app — only ever after talking to your clinicians.
How is PHASE different from a mood diary?
A diary collects entries. PHASE connects them: mood and energy are tracked separately, and sleep, medication and notes sit on the same timeline. This makes connections and early warning signs visible that get lost in single entries — and you can share them with your clinicians.
Is PHASE already an approved medical device or a DiGA?
Not yet. PHASE is a prototype in daily use; a pilot study starts next. Approval as a medical device is planned for 2027, and listing as a DiGA (a digital health application that can be prescribed in Germany) for 2028.
Is PHASE covered by health insurance?
Not at the moment. Our goal is for the costs to be covered — first through contracts with individual health insurers, later through approval as a DiGA. Until then, costs are not covered.
How is my health data handled?
Health data needs special protection, and that is exactly how we treat it: your entries belong to you, you decide on every share, and we do not sell data. Read more in the section Privacy & security.
Can I share my course with my doctor or therapist?
Yes, this is a core part of PHASE. You can share your course in a targeted way. The companion LOGos also creates a structured course report — for example as a PDF for your next appointment.
What should I do in an acute crisis?
PHASE is not an emergency service. In an acute crisis, please contact the emergency number 112(Germany), the medical on-call service 116 117 (Germany) or the TelefonSeelsorge crisis line on 0800 111 0 111 (Germany) — free and available 24/7.
Is there an app on prescription for bipolar disorder?
Not yet. Among the digital health applications (DiGA) that can be prescribed in Germany, none is currently aimed specifically at people with bipolar disorder (as of September 2026). PHASE aims to close this gap and is working towards approval as a medical device and listing in the DiGA directory.
What is a mood diary or life chart?
A mood diary records how you feel day by day. The life chart method is an established form of it that professionals use to document the course of bipolar disorder over months and years. PHASE brings this approach into an app: mood and energy tracked separately, plus sleep, medication and notes.
Can I use PHASE already?
PHASE is in development. The pilot study with 20 to 40 users starts soon. If you are interested, get in touch through our contact form.
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