Mood Disorder Questionnaire

INSTRUCTIONS: If you think you may have bipolar disorder, complete this questionnaire, print it out, and give it to your doctor or therapist. This questionnaire is not intended to give you a diagnosis. Only your doctor can give you an accurate diagnosis.

The Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) is a 13-item checklist developed by Robert M. A. Hirschfeld, MD, and published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.¹ The MDQ is designed to help your doctor determine what type of mood disorder you may be experiencing. Take your time and answer all the questions as best you can.

1.  Has there ever been a period of time when you were not your usual self and...

...you felt so good or so hyper that other people thought you were not your normal self or you
were so hyper that you got into trouble?
Yes No

...you were so irritable that you shouted at people or started fights or arguments?
Yes No

...you felt much more self-confident than usual?
Yes No

...you got much less sleep than usual and found you didn't really miss it?
Yes No

...you were much more talkative or spoke much faster than usual?
Yes No

...thoughts raced through your head or you couldn't slow your mind down?
Yes No

...you were so easily distracted by things around you that you had trouble concentrating or
staying on track?
Yes No

...you had much more energy than usual?
Yes No

...you were much more active or did many more things than usual?
Yes No

...you were much more social or outgoing than usual, for example, you telephoned friends
in the middle of the night?
Yes No

...you were much more interested in sex than usual?
Yes No

...you did things that were unusual for you or that other people might have thought were
excessive, foolish, or risky?
Yes No

...spending money got you or your family into trouble?
Yes No

2. If you checked YES to more than one of the above, have several of these ever happened during the same period of time?

Yes No