Comparison of the validity of the Chinese versions of the Hypomania Symptom Checklist-32 (HCL-32) and Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) for the detection of bipolar disorder in medicated patients with major depressive disorder.
OBJECTIVE
The sensitivity and specificity of the Chinese versions of the Hypomania Symptom Checklist-32 (HCL-32) and Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) for detecting bipolar disorder in Taiwan were explored in this study.


METHODS
In total, 59 participants who were initially diagnosed with unipolar depression were recruited from an outpatient clinic and were screened for bipolar disorder using the HCL-32 and MDQ; each participant also underwent a diagnostic interview based on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis disorder patients (SCID).


RESULTS
The results showed that the HCL-32 yielded the best combination of sensitivity (100%) and specificity (46.2%) at a cut-off point of 7/8, and the MDQ yielded the best combination of sensitivity (71.4%) and specificity (76.9%) at a cut-off point of 6/7.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of our study demonstrate that the HCL-32 and MDQ are of reasonable validity to distinguish between bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. However small sample size may limit generalization of the results.
Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Chia Chi
CC
Chou
I Hui
IH
Lee
Tzung Lieh
TL
Yeh
Kao Chin
KC
Chen
Po See
PS
Chen
Wei Tseng
WT
Chen
Ru-Band
RB
Lu
Yen Kuang
YK
Yang
D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002681:China; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards*; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards