title: Does Mood Disorder Questionnaire identify sub-threshold bipolarity? Evidence studying worsening of quality of life.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It is debated whether the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) can generate false positives by screening other disorders as bipolar, or identify sub-threshold bipolarity. The aim is to verify if Quality of Life (QoL) impairment in MQD positives in the community is due to MDQ positivity itself, or to psychiatric diagnosis associated with MDQ positivity (supporting the former hypothesis).
  
  
  METHODS
  Community survey. Sample randomized after stratification of the adult population in the records of seven Italian regions.
  
  
  METHODS
  MDQ; Short Form Health Survey (SF-12); semi-structured clinical interview carried out by clinicians.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Positives at MDQ show worsening QoL with an attributable burden of 2.8 ± 1.8 lower than in MDD (5.6 ± 3.6, p < 0.001) or Eating Disorders (4.4 ± 6.6, p < 0.03) and similar to Panic Disorder (2.9 ± 0.9, p = 0.44). The burden is lower in the middle-aged (25-59 years) than in the young (18-24) (4.65 ± 4.5 vs 2.58 ± 2.0, p=0.007) or in the elderly (≥60) (4.12 ± 3.2; p = 0.024). In the elderly the burden is independent from comorbid psychiatric disorders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is a preliminary study based on one survey not designed to test this specific hypothesis, thus its results have a heuristic value only.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The worsening of QoL due to positivity at MDQ is largely independent from comorbid conditions, supporting the hypothesis that MDQ positivity identifies a specific area of suffering that is "subthreshold" to the psychiatric diagnosis, and relevant for public health.
authors.affiliation: Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. Electronic address: mgcarta@tiscali.it.
authors.forename: Mauro Giovanni
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Carta
authors.affiliation: Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Norcini-Pala
authors.affiliation: Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Department of Public Health, Clinical and Molecular Medicine, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Francesca
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Moro
authors.affiliation: DISM, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balestrieri
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Molecular Biomedicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Caraci
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; Institute of Psychiatry, University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dell'Osso
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Policlinico Hospital, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Guido Di
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Sciascio
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, Psychology and Psychiatry Unit, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Faravelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Clinical and Molecular Medicine, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Carolina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Hardoy
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Molecular Biomedicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aguglia
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Life and Environmental Sciences, Unit of Psychiatry, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Roncone
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio Egidio
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Nardi
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Molecular Biomedicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Drago
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000150:complications; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*
keywords: Bipolar disorders; Mood Disorder Questionnaire; Quality of life; Screening; Spectrum