Rating scales in bipolar disorder.
OBJECTIVE
Bipolar disorder is a complex clinical entity that presents with pleomorphic signs and symptoms varying from depression to hypomania, full-blown mania, mixed states, and psychosis. Therefore, the assessment of patients with bipolar disorder poses a difficult challenge to clinicians, who may find themselves puzzled when having to choose among the many instruments available. This paper aims at briefly reviewing these instruments.


RESULTS
Observer-rated and self-completed instruments for the assessment of depressive, manic, and psychotic symptoms in patients with bipolar disorder are described with emphasis on topics of increasing interest in recent times, such as the assessment of bipolar depression, self-rating of manic symptoms, daily mood monitoring, screening, and early recognition of bipolar disorder.


CONCLUSIONS
The use of standardized assessment instruments has many advantages as it enables clinicians to be more systematic and it allows greater precision, increased sensitivity to change, and opportunity to identify longitudinal patterns. Knowledge of available options for the assessment of patients with bipolar disorder may help clinicians and researchers to choose the most appropriate instruments for their specific needs.
Picardi
Angelo
A
Mental Health Unit, Center of Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion, Italian National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy. angelo.picardi@iss.it
D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011581:Psychological Tests; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity