Further examination of the utility and comparative properties of the MSQ and MDQ bipolar screening measures

BackgroundOur aim was to further examine the diagnostic utility of the Mood Swings Questionnaire (MSQ) and to compare its properties with the standard bipolar screening measure, the Mood Disorders Questionnaire (MDQ).MethodsA total of 1040 patients attending the Black Dog Institute Depression Clinic and diagnosed with a primary mood disorder (unipolar or bipolar) completed the MSQ and a smaller subset completed the MDQ. All patients underwent clinical assessment by an Institute psychiatrist.ResultsBased on pre-established cut-off scores, the MSQ demonstrated superior sensitivity and specificity to the MDQ, both for the full version (MSQ-46; 85.1% and 77.9% vs. 63.3% and 70.2%) and the 27-item version (MSQ-27; 81.7 and 77.9% vs. 63.3% and 70.2%). The sensitivity of the MDQ in detecting a bipolar disorder was improved when its impairment criterion was ignored. Optimal cut-off scores derived in the current sample were generally consistent with those quantified previously. The stability of these discriminatory properties across different samples provides encouraging evidence for the utility of the MSQ and MDQ in screening for bipolar disorder in samples of depressed patients.ConclusionsThese results provide further positive evidence for the capacity of the MSQ and the MDQ as self-report screening measures to discriminate bipolar and unipolar depressive conditions.