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🧠 Mental Health
Could I be bipolar?
MDQ — the most used bipolar screening tool.
Has there ever been a period when you were NOT your usual self and... (Yes/No)
1You felt so good or hyper that others thought you were not your normal self
2You were so irritable that you shouted or started fights
3You felt much more self-confident than usual
4You got much less sleep than usual and didn't miss it
5You were much more talkative or spoke faster than usual
6Thoughts raced through your head and you couldn't slow down
7You were so easily distracted that you had trouble concentrating
8You had much more energy than usual
9You were much more social or outgoing than usual
10You did things that could have caused trouble (spending sprees, risky sex, bad investments)
This is a screening tool (adapted MDQ), not a diagnosis. Bipolar disorder requires professional evaluation. Talk to a psychiatrist if you scored high.
Mood Disorder Questionnaire
Adapted from the MDQ (Hirschfeld et al. 2000) — the most widely used bipolar screening instrument.
Bipolar facts
- Affects 2.8% of adults in the US (4.4% lifetime)
- Average delay from first symptoms to correct diagnosis: 10 years
- 69% of bipolar patients are initially misdiagnosed (most often as depression)
- Bipolar has the highest suicide rate of any psychiatric disorder (25-50% attempt)
- Mania ≠ happiness — it often involves irritability, impulsivity, and poor judgment
Sources: Hirschfeld et al. (2000, MDQ), NIMH, DBSA, APA DSM-5.