Health diaries for self-monitoring and self-regulation: applications to individuals with serious mental illness.

Various health promotion interventions have been developed for individuals with serious mental illness that address such problems as medication nonadherence and physical inactivity. The beneficial outcomes of these interventions may be enhanced or extended if patients used a tool to monitor their own health habits. A systematic review of studies on health diaries was conducted to inform the development of the Monthly Medication Journal. A self-regulation model is discussed in using health diaries as self-monitoring and self-regulation tools for individuals with various mental health disorders.