The Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) was developed by Robert M.A. Hirschfeld and colleagues, as a screening instrument for bipolar spectrum disorders in a psychiatric outpatient population. It includes 13 yes/no questions about bipolar symptoms and two additional questions about symptom co-occurrence and impaired functioning. The MDQ takes about 5 minutes to complete and has been translated into 19 languages.

The MDQ was developed as a screening tool for bipolar disorder, and assesses symptoms of mania and hypomania based on the DSM-IV criteria for bipolar disorder. It is not ideal for diagnosis nor has any utility in monitor treatment progress, due to variable psychometric properties, such as internal consistency, sensitivity and specificity in several studies. The most supported evidence is for its use as a screening tool in Bipolar I disorder, any positive screening should be followed up with a comprehensive clinical assessment.

References

Hirschfeld RM, Williams JB, 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):1873-5.

Wang HR, Woo YS, Ahn HS, Ahn IM, Kim HJ, Bahk WM. THE VALIDITY OF THE MOOD DISORDER QUESTIONNAIRE FOR SCREENING BIPOLAR DISORDER: A META-ANALYSIS. Depress Anxiety. 2015;32(7):527-38.

Zimmerman M, Galione JN. Screening for bipolar disorder with the Mood Disorders Questionnaire: a review. Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2011;19(5):219-28.