What Is the MDQ Bipolar Test?
The Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) is a published self-report screener for bipolar spectrum disorder. Instead of asking how you feel today, it asks whether there has ever been a period when you were not your usual self — more energetic, more talkative, needing less sleep, more irritable, or doing things that were risky for you. Those are signs of mania or hypomania, the 'up' side of bipolar disorder.
This bipolar disorder test has five questions: 13 yes-or-no symptom items, one question about whether several symptoms happened at the same time, one about how much of a problem they caused, and two background questions about family history and any past diagnosis. Your answers are scored in your browser and are never stored or sent anywhere.
How Is the MDQ Scored?
The MDQ has two results: a positive screen or a negative screen. A screen is positive only when all three of these are true: you answered 'Yes' to 7 or more of the 13 items in question 1, you answered 'Yes' to question 2, and you rated the problems in question 3 as 'Moderate' or 'Serious'. Questions 4 and 5 (family history and past diagnosis) are not part of the score, but they're useful to share with your provider.
Am I Bipolar or Depressed?
Many people with bipolar disorder first seek care during a low period, so it can look just like depression. A depression questionnaire only asks about the last two weeks of low mood — it can't see past highs. That's why it helps to screen for both. If your lows are the bigger problem right now, take our free depression test (PHQ-9) too, and bring both results to your visit.
Telling the two apart matters because treatment differs. A psychiatric provider will ask about past episodes of high energy, reduced need for sleep, and how you've responded to antidepressants before. Learn what care looks like on our bipolar disorder treatment online page.
What Happens After a Bipolar Test?
Whatever your result, the next step if you're concerned is an online psychiatric evaluation with a licensed psychiatric provider — a psychiatrist (MD/DO), psychiatric nurse practitioner, or physician assistant. At Anywhere Clinic, a first video visit takes about 30 to 40 minutes. Your provider reviews your mood history, sleep, family history, substance use, and medical factors that can mimic mood episodes, such as thyroid problems.
If bipolar disorder is diagnosed, your provider builds a treatment plan with you, which may include medication when clinically appropriate and therapy. Prescriptions are never guaranteed. We see patients in 46 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. — see how online psychiatry works, read our guide to online psychiatry, or find a psychiatrist near you.
Who Created the Mood Disorder Questionnaire?
The MDQ was developed and validated by Robert M. A. Hirschfeld, Janet B. W. Williams, Robert L. Spitzer, and colleagues. Source: Hirschfeld RMA, Williams JBW, Spitzer RL, et al. Development and validation of a screening instrument for bipolar spectrum disorder: the Mood Disorder Questionnaire. Am J Psychiatry. 2000;157(11):1873-1875. The questionnaire is reproduced here unchanged for screening purposes only; it is not a diagnostic tool.
