Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ)

The Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) is a useful screening tool for bipolar spectrum disorder in an outpatient population. A score of 7 or more yielded a good sensitivity (0.73) and a very good specificity (0.90).

1. Has there ever been a period of time when you were not your usual self (while not using drugs or alcohol) and ...
...you felt so good or so hyper that other people thought you were not your normal self, or you were so hyper that you got into trouble? (circle yes or no for each line, please)	Yes	No
...you were so irritable that you shouted at people or started arguments?	Yes	No
...you felt much more self-confident than usual?	Yes	No
...you got much less sleep than usual and found you didn’t really miss it?	Yes	No
...you were much more talkative or spoke faster than usual?	Yes	No
...thoughts raced through your head or you couldn’t slow your mind down?	Yes	No
...you were so easily distracted by things around you that you had trouble concentrating or staying on track?	Yes	No
...you had much more energy than usual?	Yes	No
...you were much more active or did many more things than usual?	Yes	No
...you were much more social or outgoing than usual; for example, you telephoned friends in the middle of the night?	Yes	No
...you were much more interested in sex than usual?	Yes	No
...you did things that were unusual for you or that other people might have thought were excessive, foolish, or risky?	Yes	No
...spending money got you or your family into trouble?	Yes	No
Total number of “Yes” responses to question 1
2. If you checked YES to more than one of the above, have several of these ever happened during the same period of time?	Yes	No
3. How much of a problem did any of these cause you – like being unable to work; having family, money, or legal troubles; getting into arguments or fights?	No problem Minor problem Moderate problem Serious problem

Scoring:

An individual is considered positive for Bipolar Disorder if they answered:

“Yes” to at least 7 of the 13 items in question 1 AND
“Yes” to question number 2 AND
“Moderate” or “Serious” to question number 3.

All three of the criteria should be met. A positive screen indicates that the person should receive a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation for bipolar spectrum disorder by a psychiatrist, licensed psychologist, or advanced practice psychiatric nurse.

From Hirschfeld R, Williams JB, Spitzer RL et al. Development and validation of a screening instrument for bipolar spectrum disorder: The Mood Disorder Questionnaire. Am J Psychiatry 2000; 157:1873–1875. Reprinted with permission from Dr. Robert MA Hirschfeld.

Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R)

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Assess