How a digital tool may help college students living with mental illness

(BPT) – This article is sponsored by Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. Britney Pridgen, NP, is a paid consultant for Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.Attending college is one of the most exciting times in a young adult’s life. During this time, many students begin to experience more independence and learn to navigate the world on their own terms. While exciting, the transition to college life can also present challenges as students acclimate to new surroundings, additional responsibilities, and full accountability for themselves.For students living with a mental illness, this transition may be challenging during the traditional college years. One U.S. study reported that young adults aged 18-25 years old had the highest prevalence of any mental illness1, and an additional study reported that dropout rates for students with diagnosed mental health conditions can range from 43% to as high as 86%2.“Many young adults experience an onset of mental illness or an exacerbation of their symptoms around or during their transition to college,” says Britney Pridgen, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner from Houston Adult Psychiatry. “We also know that mental illness, regardless of age, may impact not only patients, but also families and caregiver support systems. When considered together, the college years can raise the level of concern for students and their families.”Pridgen says, “Continuity of care is key for people living with a mental illness. Maintaining good habits in managing their condition. Taking medication appropriately, getting enough rest, and finding ways to stay active are all lifestyle habits that can help keep patients healthy and engaged when away at school.”The transition to college can be challenging for parents who have played an active role in their young adult’s treatment, by monitoring medication or by accompanying them to appointments. Parents may feel less connected their loved one and unsure of their wellbeing while they are away3. However, technology is one way to help young adults living with mental illness, and their parents and support team, be more connected by sharing data even when they are miles apart.One example of this kind of technology, the ABILIFY MYCITE® System, helps the patient to capture important data and share it with their health care provider, their care team and even their family members.ABILIFY MYCITE® (aripriprazole tablets with sensor) is a prescription medicine of an aripiprazole tablet with an Ingestible Event Marker (IEM) sensor inside it used in adults for the treatment of schizophrenia; treatment of bipolar I disorder alone or when used with the medicine lithium or valproate for acute (short-term) treatment of manic or mixed episodes, or maintenance treatment; and the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) along with other antidepressant medicines. The ABILIFY MYCITE System® is meant to track if you have taken your ABILIFY MYCITE®. It is not known if ABILIFY MYCITE® can improve how well you take your aripiprazole (patient compliance) or for changing your dose of aripiprazole. Please read full INDICATIONS and IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION below, including BOXED WARNING for Increased Risk of Death in Elderly People with Dementia-Related Psychosis and Increased Risk of Suicidal Thoughts or Actions. The System includes a smart pill and a non-medicated Bluetooth patch that captures and records medication ingestion; a smartphone app that receives the information from the patch and also enables the patient to record other important data like time spent resting and activity level; and a dashboard that the patient can choose to share with their healthcare team and their family members if they choose, to help inform treatment on an ongoing basis.“I have found the ABILIFY MYCITE System to be useful for some of my patients who are adjusting to a new schedule or need help logging their daily routine, like when they go to college,” says Pridgen. “I’ve also seen how the app can help patients and their family members stay connected by seeing information on their medication ingestion, rest, activity, and mood on a certain day, week, or even over the course of a month. For parents, it can provide greater awareness while supporting the patient during college.”For more information on the ABILIFY MYCITE System, and to hear from other patients, visit www.abilifymycite.com.Only functions related to tracking drug ingestion have been evaluated or approved by FDA.INDICATIONS and IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION forABILIFY MYCITE® (aripiprazole tablets with sensor) 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 mgINDICATIONS:ABILIFY MYCITE is a prescription medicine of an aripiprazole tablet with an Ingestible Event Marker (IEM) sensor inside it used in adults for the:Treatment of schizophreniaTreatment of bipolar I disorder alone or when used with the medicine lithium or valproate for:acute (short-term) treatment of manic or mixed episodesmaintenance treatmentTreatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) along with other antidepressant medicinesThe ABILIFY MYCITE System is intended to track if you have taken your ABILIFY MYCITE. There may be a delay in the detection of the ABILIFY MYCITE tablet and sometimes the detection of the tablet might not happen at all. If the MYCITE APP does not indicate that you have taken your medicine, do not repeat the dose. It is not known if ABILIFY MYCITE can improve how well you take your aripiprazole (patient compliance) or for changing your dose of aripiprazole. ABILIFY MYCITE is not for use as real-time or emergency monitoring.IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION:Increased risk of death in elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis: Medicines like ABILIFY MYCITE can raise the risk of death in elderly people who have lost touch with reality (psychosis) due to confusion and memory loss (dementia). ABILIFY MYCITE is not approved to treat patients with dementia-related psychosis.Increased risk of suicidal thoughts or actions in children and young adults: Antidepressant medicines may increase suicidal thoughts or actions in some children and young adults within the first few months of treatment and when the dose is changed. Pay close attention to any changes, especially new and sudden changes, in mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings and report them to the healthcare provider. It is not known if ABILIFY MYCITE is safe and effective for use in children.Do not take ABILIFY MYCITE if you are allergic to aripiprazole or any of the ingredients in ABILIFY MYCITE. Allergic reactions may include: rash, hives, itching, difficulty breathing, tightness in the chest, swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue.ABILIFY MYCITE may cause serious side effects, including:Stroke (cerebrovascular problems) in elderly people with dementia-related psychosis that can lead to death.Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS), a rare and serious condition that can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away if you have some or all of the following signs and symptoms of NMS: high fever, stiff muscles, confusion, sweating, changes in pulse, heart rate, and blood pressure.Uncontrolled body movements (tardive dyskinesia or TD). ABILIFY MYCITE may cause movements that you cannot control in your face, tongue, or other body parts. TD may not go away, even if you stop taking ABILIFY MYCITE. TD may also start after you stop taking ABILIFY MYCITE.Problems with your metabolism such as:feel very thirstyneed to urinate more than usualfeel very hungryfeel weak or tiredfeel sick to your stomachfeel confused, or your breath smells fruityhigh blood sugar (hyperglycemia) and diabetes. Increases in blood sugar can happen in some people who take ABILIFY MYCITE. Extremely high blood sugar can lead to coma or death. If you have diabetes or risk factors for diabetes (such as being overweight or a family history of diabetes), your healthcare provider should check your blood sugar before starting ABILIFY MYCITE and during your treatment.Call your healthcare provider if you have any of these symptoms of high blood sugar while receiving ABILIFY MYCITE:increased fat levels (cholesterol and triglycerides) in your blood.weight gain. You and your healthcare provider should check your weight regularly.Unusual urges. Some people taking aripiprazole have had unusual urges, such as gambling, binge eating or eating that you cannot control (compulsive), compulsive shopping and sexual urges. If you or your family members notice that you are having unusual urges or behaviors, talk to your healthcare provider.Decreased blood pressure (orthostatic hypotension). You may feel lightheaded or faint when you rise too quickly from a sitting or lying position.FallsLow white blood cell count. Your healthcare provider may do blood tests during the first few months of treatment with ABILIFY MYCITE.Seizures (convulsions)Problems with control of your body temperature so that you feel too warm. Do not become too hot or dehydrated during treatment with ABILIFY MYCITE. Avoid getting over-heated or dehydrated. Do not exercise too much. In hot weather, stay inside in a cool place if possible. Stay out of the sun, and do not wear too much or heavy clothing. Drink plenty of water.Difficulty swallowingABILIFY MYCITE may make you drowsy. Do not drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how ABILIFY MYCITE affects you.Before taking ABILIFY MYCITE, tell your healthcare provider if you:have or had diabetes or high blood sugar in you or your family; your healthcare provider should check your blood sugar before starting and during therapy with ABILIFY MYCITEhave or had seizures (convulsions)have or had low or high blood pressurehave or had heart problems or strokehave or had low white blood cell countare pregnant or have plans to become pregnant. It is not known if ABILIFY MYCITE will harm your unborn baby.There is a pregnancy exposure registry that monitors pregnancy outcomes in women exposed to ABILIFY MYCITE during pregnancy. For more information contact the National Pregnancy Registry for Atypical Antipsychotics at 1-866-961-2388 or visit http://womensmentalhealth.org/clinical-and-research-programs/pregnancyregistry/are breast-feeding or have plans to breast-feed. ABILIFY MYCITE can pass into your breast milk and may harm your baby. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby if you receive ABILIFY MYCITEhave or had any other medical conditionsTell your healthcare provider about all the medicines that you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. ABILIFY MYCITE and other medicines may affect each other causing possible serious side effects. ABILIFY MYCITE may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how ABILIFY MYCITE works. Do not start or stop any medicines while taking ABILIFY MYCITE without talking to your healthcare provider first.The most common side effects of ABILIFY MYCITE in adults include: restlessness or need to move (akathisia); dizziness; nausea; insomnia; shaking (tremor); anxiety; constipation; sedationThese are not all the possible side effects of ABILIFY MYCITE. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report side effects to Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. at 1-800-438-9927 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.Please read FULL PRESCRIBING INFORMATION, including BOXED WARNING, and MEDICATION GUIDE.©2022 Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. All rights reserved.AUGUST 2022 12US22EBC0022References1. Mental Illness, N. I. of. (2022, January). Mental illness. National Institute of Mental Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness 2. Sciences, C. N. A. of. (2021, January 13). Mental health, substance use, and wellbeing in Higher Education: Supporting the whole student. The National Academies Press. https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26015/mental-health-substance-use-and-wellbeing-in-higher-education-supporting 3. Dorrance Hall, E. (2018). The challenges of parenting while in college. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/conscious-communication/201806/the-challenges-parenting-while-in-college