title: Development and validation of a screening instrument for bipolar spectrum disorder: the Mood Disorder Questionnaire.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Bipolar spectrum disorders, which include bipolar I, bipolar II, and bipolar disorder not otherwise specified, frequently go unrecognized, undiagnosed, and untreated. This report describes the validation of a new brief self-report screening instrument for bipolar spectrum disorders called the Mood Disorder Questionnaire.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 198 patients attending five outpatient clinics that primarily treat patients with mood disorders completed the Mood Disorder Questionnaire. A research professional, blind to the Mood Disorder Questionnaire results, conducted a telephone research diagnostic interview by means of the bipolar module of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A Mood Disorder Questionnaire screening score of 7 or more items yielded good sensitivity (0.73) and very good specificity (0.90).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Mood Disorder Questionnaire is a useful screening instrument for bipolar spectrum disorder in a psychiatric outpatient population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical Branch, the University of Texas at Galveston 77555-01888, USA. rohirsch@utmb.edu
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Hirschfeld
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Spitzer
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Calabrese
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Flynn
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Keck
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: McElroy
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Post
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Rapport
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Sachs
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zajecka
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013689:Telephone