Bipolar disorder and mania
Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ)
Symptom measurement requiring clinical interpretation
Reference information · Questionnaire
- Last content update
- 2026-10-26
- Clinical review
- Not independently reviewed
- Source jurisdiction
- See individual sources
- Coverage
- Questionnaire
| Field | Instrument context |
|---|---|
| Version | Original adult English MDQ; UW STABLE toolkit |
| Population | Adults; screening requires clinician evaluation |
| Respondent | Self-report with clinician interpretation |
| Recall period | Lifetime episodes as worded |
| Purpose | Symptom measurement requiring clinical interpretation |
Assessment tool
Please answer each question to the best of your ability. Has there ever been a period of time when you were not your usual self and... The co-occurrence item applies when more than one symptom is endorsed.
Mood Disorder Questionnaire. Hirschfeld RMA and colleagues (2000), American Journal of Psychiatry 157:1873–1875. STABLE Resource Toolkit. Permission for use granted by RMA Hirschfeld, MD.
Responses stay in this page’s memory. Reset or leave the page to clear them. No patient identifiers are collected.
Interpretation & limitations
- The displayed count is the number of YES answers to the 13 symptom questions; co-occurrence and impairment are separate.
- The original screening rule requires seven or more symptoms, co-occurrence and moderate or serious impairment. This does not establish a diagnosis.
- A negative screen does not exclude bipolar disorder; sensitivity is lower for bipolar II and other presentations.
- All items are required; omitted or inapplicable responses are not zero.
- No automatic diagnosis, medication change or declaration of safety.
References · 1
- Selected full original form and scoring · The selected published toolkit form states permission for use granted by RMA Hirschfeld, MD. Preserve the source form and attribution.