The bipolar screen was written by the PHQ authors and a committee, and who paid is not on the form
The Mood Disorder Questionnaire was validated in 198 patients at five mood clinics. Two of its authors wrote the PHQ-9. The form is copyright the University of Texas Medical Branch, says it is not a diagnostic tool, and prints no funder.
We have not finished checking this source. No judgement either way. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: Funding is unknown, not absent: the record could not be read. The seven-in-ten and nine-in-ten figures are the form's own summary of the paper, in a mood-clinic sample where bipolar disorder is common; screens perform worse in general populations.
Significant findings
The Mood Disorder Questionnaire is the thirteen-item screen that often sits between a person and a mood stabiliser or an antipsychotic. Its validation paper enrolled 198 patients attending five outpatient clinics "that primarily treat patients with mood disorders" and checked the form against a blinded telephone interview using the bipolar module of the SCID.
Two of the authors are Janet Williams and Robert Spitzer, the authors of the PHQ-9. The form's own acknowledgement names a committee: Hirschfeld at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Calabrese, Laurie Flynn of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Keck, Lydia Lewis of the National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association, Robert Post of the NIMH, Sachs, Spitzer, Williams and Zajecka.
The footer reads "© 2000 by The University of Texas Medical Branch. Reprinted with permission. This instrument is designed for screening purposes only and is not to be used as a diagnostic tool." The scoring text summarises the paper as identifying "seven out of ten people who have bipolar disorder" and screening out "nine out of ten people who do not."
Who paid for the development is not printed on the form, and the journal page could not be read without a subscription. So it is unknown here, and this row says so rather than guessing.
Worth asking
The validation was done where bipolar disorder is common. A screen performs differently where it is rare, which is most primary care waiting rooms. If you screen positive, the form itself says the next step is "a comprehensive medical evaluation", not a prescription.
Source
Development and validation of a screening instrument for bipolar spectrum disorder: the Mood Disorder Questionnaire — Hirschfeld RM, Williams JB, Spitzer RL, Calabrese JR, Flynn L, Keck PE, et al. (2000)
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.157.11.1873
DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.157.11.1873
How this was scored
- Study design
- not recorded
- Funding
- not recorded
- Published in
- not recorded
- Sample size
- not recorded
- Preregistered
- not recorded
- Conflicts disclosed
- not recorded
- Independent of proponent
- not recorded
- Retracted
- No
We have not finished checking this source, so there is no scoring to show yet. “We have not checked this yet” and “this is disputed” are different statements, so no scored band is shown rather than a low one.
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published September 17, 2026.
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
veisund rates this source "not yet assessed". We have not finished checking this source. No judgement either way. One caveat travels with that badge: Funding is unknown, not absent: the record could not be read. The seven-in-ten and nine-in-ten figures are the form's own summary of the paper, in a mood-clinic sample where bipolar disorder is common; screens perform worse in general populations. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
Development and validation of a screening instrument for bipolar spectrum disorder: the Mood Disorder Questionnaire — Hirschfeld RM, Williams JB, Spitzer RL, Calabrese JR, Flynn L, Keck PE, et al. (2000). DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.157.11.1873. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.