With the recent celebrity Bipolar diagnoses in the news, I am providing for you an Informal Screening tool. This is NOT a substitute for testing by a licensed Mental Health Provider or psychiatrist. If you think you need help, please contact a professional immediately.
BIPOLAR INFORMAL MOOD DISORDER QUESTIONNAIRE
- 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 were you so hyper that you got in trouble?
___You were so irritable that you shouted or started fights or arguments?
___You felt much more self -confident than usual?
___You got much less sleep than usual and found you didn’t really miss it?
___You were much more talkative or spoke much faster than usual?
___Thoughts raced through your head or you couldn’t slow your mind down?
___You were so easily distracted by things around you that you had trouble concentrating or staying on track?
___You had much more energy than usual?
___You were much more active or did many more things than usual?
___You were much more social or outgoing than usual, for example, you called friends in the middle of the night?
___You were much more interested in sex than usual?
___You did things that were unusual for you or that other people might have thought were excessive, foolish or risky?
___Spending money got you or your family in trouble?
- If you checked YES to more than one of the above, have several of these ever happened during the same period of time?
- How much of a problem did any of this cause you—like being unable to work, having family, money or legal troubles, getting into arguments or fights?
NO problem Minor problem Moderate Problem Serious Problem
Seven or more endorsed indicates “Moderate” to “Serious” Bipolar possibility. THIS IS NOT A DIAGNOSTIC TOOL, but an informal way to begin to gather information towards an eventual diagnosis.