Sam

Who I am

I'm a software engineer working in healthcare technology. I also live with bipolar disorder. Those two facts are not unrelated.

I was diagnosed several years ago. Since then, I've spent a lot of time learning what actually works for managing the condition day to day. Not the textbook version. The version where you're trying to hold down a demanding job, maintain relationships, and keep your brain chemistry from derailing everything.

Most of what I know came from tracking my own data. Daily mood, energy, sleep, irritability, medication adherence. I've logged hundreds of days. Not perfectly. There are gaps, missed weeks, stretches where I didn't want to think about it. But even imperfect data taught me more about my own patterns than years of appointments alone.

Why I built Steadyline

I tried every mood tracker I could find. Daylio is well-designed but treats bipolar like general wellness tracking. eMoods understands bipolar better but felt dated and limited. Spreadsheets worked but required too much manual effort. Paper journals were fine until I needed to show a trend to my doctor.

None of them tracked what my psychiatrist actually asked about. None of them generated a report I could bring to a 15-minute appointment. None of them understood that mood alone isn't enough for bipolar, that sleep is the first signal to watch, or that irritability is often the earliest warning sign.

So I built one. Steadyline is an AI-powered mood tracking app designed specifically for people living with bipolar disorder and other mood conditions. It tracks the clinical dimensions that matter, uses AI to detect patterns across those dimensions, and generates structured reports your psychiatrist can actually use.

What qualifies me to build this

Two things. First, I'm a professional software engineer with healthcare domain experience. I understand how clinical data should be handled, stored, and presented. I take data privacy and security seriously because mental health data is among the most sensitive information that exists.

Second, I'm a patient. I use Steadyline every day for my own bipolar management. The features exist because I needed them. The clinician report exists because I got tired of walking out of appointments thinking "I forgot to mention..." The early warning detection exists because I learned the hard way what happens when you miss the signs.

Google calls this E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness. I don't build to satisfy a checklist. But if you're evaluating whether to trust health information on this site, here's the answer: I live this. Every day.

What I write about

This blog covers the intersection of bipolar disorder, daily self-management, and the technology that supports it. Not sanitized advice. The honest experience of:

• What daily life with bipolar actually looks like
• How to track bipolar effectively (and what most people get wrong)
• The responsible use of AI in mental health
• Building a premium health app as a solo engineer
• Hard-won lessons from years of managing a condition that affects cognition, memory, and self-awareness

Disclosure

I am not a doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist, or licensed therapist. Nothing on this site is medical advice. Everything I write comes from personal experience managing my own condition, backed by clinical research where I cite it.

If you're in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988) or the Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741).

I built Steadyline as a tracking and awareness tool, not a replacement for professional care. If you have bipolar disorder or suspect you might, please work with a qualified psychiatrist.

Get in touch

If you live with a mood disorder and want to share your experience, have feedback on Steadyline, or want to discuss anything I've written about, I'd like to hear from you.