In plain words
The Mood Disorder Questionnaire is a short screening tool. It asks about past and current periods of unusually high energy, irritability, and needing less sleep, among other things. It is not a diagnosis. Its job is to flag when spectrum symptoms might be present. That matters because some antidepressants can trigger a high mood in people with bipolar disorder. Your provider may ask you to complete it before starting treatment for depression or anxiety. It is one step of an assessment, and a clinician interprets the answers. A positive screen means a fuller conversation, not a label.
The deeper version
The Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) is a self-report screen for bipolar spectrum disorder, with 13 yes-or-no symptom items plus two follow-up questions. It asks about lifetime manic or hypomanic symptoms, whether they cluster in time, and their functional impact. Hirschfeld and colleagues (American Journal of Psychiatry, 2000) developed and validated it, and its sensitivity and specificity vary with the cutoff used. Screening is commonly recommended before starting antidepressants in people with depressive symptoms, to reduce the risk of switching into or mania. In the perinatal period, and mixed states also belong in the differential. The controversy is that the MDQ has only moderate specificity in general populations, and perinatal validation is limited.
Where it comes up
- Anxiety in pregnancyPregnancy: Mind and Life
- Depression during pregnancyPregnancy: Mind and Life
- Postpartum depressionPostpartum: Mind
- Postpartum ragePostpartum: Mind
- Vivid dreams, mood swings, and crying at commercialsPregnancy: Mind and Life
What mothers here say about Mood Disorder Questionnaire
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- Hirschfeld RM and colleagues — Development and validation of a screening instrument for bipolar spectrum disorder: the Mood Disorder Questionnaire, American Journal of Psychiatry (2000)