Could it be bipolar? A 5-minute screening test.
This is the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ), the most widely used screening tool for bipolar spectrum disorder. It looks for past periods of unusually high or irritable mood, not just low mood. Your answers stay on your device. Nothing is saved or sent.
Validation (psychiatric outpatient sample): Hirschfeld RMA, et al. (2000). American Journal of Psychiatry 157(11):1873-1875. See full sources and limitations â
How to use this
- Set aside about 5 quiet minutes. There are 17 short questions.
- Answer about how you have felt at any time in your life, not only recently. The questions ask whether there was ever a period like this.
- Be honest. There are no right or wrong answers.
- Your result appears below once you have answered every question.
- If your screen is positive, the next step is a full evaluation, not a conclusion.
The questions
Has there ever been a period of time when you were not your usual self andâŠ
Understanding your result
How is the MDQ scored?
The Mood Disorder Questionnaire has three parts, and a positive screen needs all three at once:
- Symptoms: âYesâ to 7 or more of the 13 questions about past periods of unusually high, energetic, or irritable mood.
- Same period: âYesâ that several of those happened during the same stretch of time, not scattered across your life.
- Impact: that these caused at least a moderate problem, such as trouble at work, with family, money, the law, or relationships.
This three-part rule is what makes the MDQ specific. Endorsing several symptoms on their own, without the same-period and impact criteria, is common and does not make the screen positive. That is by design, so the tool does not over-flag ordinary good moods, energy, or confidence.
What if my screen is positive?
A positive screen is not a diagnosis. It means a full evaluation is worth pursuing. Bipolar disorder is often missed or mistaken for depression, because people usually seek help during the low periods, not the high ones, so screening for the highs matters.
A comprehensive evaluation looks at:
- The pattern, length, and timing of high or irritable periods, and whether they are clearly different from your usual self
- Family history of bipolar disorder or manic-depressive illness
- How much the episodes affect work, relationships, sleep, money, and safety
- Whether something else (thyroid problems, medication or substance effects, ADHD, trauma) might better explain what you experience
Because a bipolar diagnosis and any medication sit with a psychiatrist, that is usually where the assessment happens. An ElloMind psychologist can help you prepare for it, make sense of the result, and provide talk therapy alongside your medical care. We do not diagnose or prescribe.
What if my screen is not positive but something still feels off?
Trust that. A screening tool checks one specific pattern. Low mood, exhaustion, anxiety, sleep problems, or feeling out of control can have many causes, and most are treatable.
If low mood is the main thing you notice, our free depression test (PHQ-9) may fit better. If worry is louder, try the anxiety test (GAD-7). Either way, talking to a psychologist can help you find what is actually going on.
Is the scoring official? Validation, accuracy, and limitations
Where the questions and scoring come from
The 13 symptom items and the two follow-up questions are reproduced from the published MDQ without modification. The 7-of-13 cut-off, the same-period rule, and the moderate-or-serious impact rule are the instrumentâs own scoring criteria.
How accurate is it?
In the original validation in a psychiatric outpatient sample (Hirschfeld et al., 2000), the MDQ identified about 7 in 10 people who had bipolar disorder (sensitivity ~0.73) and correctly cleared about 9 in 10 who did not (specificity ~0.90).
An honest limitation: in general community samples, rather than psychiatric clinics, the MDQ is far less sensitive and misses many cases. It is a screening aid to start a conversation, not a diagnostic test. A negative screen should never close the door on getting help if you are struggling.
Full citations
- Hirschfeld RMA, Williams JBW, Spitzer RL, Calabrese JR, Flynn L, Keck PE Jr, Lewis L, McElroy SL, Post RM, Rapport DJ, Russell JM, Sachs GS, Zajecka J. Development and validation of a screening instrument for bipolar spectrum disorder: the Mood Disorder Questionnaire. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2000;157(11):1873-1875.
- American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). Washington, DC: APA Publishing; 2013.