title: Lifetime mood spectrum symptoms among bipolar patients and healthy controls: a cross sectional study with the Mood Spectrum Self-Report questionnaire.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The "spectrum" model has advantages for the conceptualization of mental disorders, representing a complementary approach to the currently available categorical systems. We carried out a study in order to assess lifetime mood symptoms among patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and healthy controls from a dimensional perspective.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Mood Spectrum Self-Report instrument (MOODS-SR) was administered to 101 bipolar patients (52 BD I, 32 BD II, and 17 BD NOS, 36 males/65 females, mean age+SD=36.10±13.34 years) and 38 healthy controls (16 males/22females, mean age+SD=35.18±13.70 years). The scores of the different MOOD-SR scales and subscales among patients and controls were compared using non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bipolar patients scored significantly higher than healthy controls on the total MOOD-SR scores (BD: mean±SD=98.65±22.17; HC: mean±SD=12.92±10.72; p<0.01) and all subdomains. Multiple comparisons revealed lower scores among controls when compared to each one of the subtypes of BD, also regarding the total scores and all subdomains (p<0.01). Comparisons across the different subtypes of BD revealed statistically significant higher scores among BD I patients when compared to BD II and BD NOS patients, only in regard to the total MOOD-SR scores (BD I: mean±SD=102.94±22.79; BD II: mean±SD=93.53±21.97; BD NOS: mean±SD= 94.88±18.68; p=0.03) and two subdomains: mood mania and energy mania.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results, although preliminary, suggest that even though the MOODS-SR seems effective in distinguishing BD patients from HC, it is not as good in discriminating different subtypes of BD, especially in respect to lifetime depressive symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our sample size was small, and comprised by outpatients. The MOOD-SR measures only lifetime symptoms and does not take into account the progression of mood symptoms or the current mood state of patients.
authors.affiliation: UT Center of Excellence on Mood Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Amna A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Ghouse
authors.affiliation: UT Center of Excellence on Mood Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Marsal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sanches
authors.affiliation: UT Center of Excellence on Mood Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Giovana B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Zunta-Soares
authors.affiliation: UT Center of Excellence on Mood Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA. Electronic address: jair.c.soares@uth.tmc.edu.
authors.forename: Jair C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Soares
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D018401:Sample Size; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Bipolar disorder; Diagnosis; Mood disorder; Mood spectrum