Test for bipolar disorder
You can live well with bipolar disorder!
Are you wondering if you have bipolar disorder?
Or perhaps you've been diagnosed and you want
a second opinion? This quick screening test for bipolar disorder will give you
somewhere to start.
This test has been
developed by
researchers Hirschfeld and others and used by many health workers. It is regarded as reliable, but
see my reservations below.
The test is free, and it's completely confidential. We ask for your email address so we can give personal follow-up. You can use a nickname if you wish. |
Doing this test for someone else?
This test is fairly friendly to those who take it on behalf of someone else. However, the questions about self confidence, about not missing sleep, about racing thoughts and about concentrating can only be truly answered by the person with bipolar disorder. With this caution in mind, you can take the results along when you accompany your friend to the doctor for a proper assessment and diagnosis.
Pick a good time and share the test results with your friend, and come back together to this website for more information.
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Reservations
Any self-administered test for bipolar disorder can miss cases of
bipolar (false negative) and it can suggest bipolar disorder in people with
other, or no, disorders (false positive). As well, it is not uncommon for people to have bipolar and another disorder! In particular, this test does not address depression symptoms and if you have had
recurring depression without mania you also need to be checked by a doctor, as
the treatment is not dissimilar to treatment for bipolar, and is usually
effective. Further, this test appears to overlook the typical subjective experience of
people with some of the mixed states (i.e. elements of depression and mania at
the same time) |
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Before you get started on the bipolar test, let me prepare you for the results. Click here.
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Hirschfeld RM, Williams JB, Spitzer RL,
Calabrese JR, Flynn L, Keck PE Jr, Lewis L, McElroy SL, Post RM, Rapport DJ,
Russell JM, Sachs GS, Zajecka J '
Development and validation of a screening instrument for Bipolar spectrum disorder : The Mood Disorder Questionnaire' Am J Psych 157(11):1875 (appendix 1), November 2000.
About Us | Site Map | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | ©2005-2008 Two Trees Media 
Last modified 18 October 2008
This page was written and published by
Madeleine Kelly, a bipolar sufferer who underwent undergraduate medical
training (University of Melbourne) and who is the author of Bipolar and
the Art of Roller-coaster Riding.
Questions or problems regarding this web site should be directed to Publisher at TwoTreesMedia dot com.
This site and the book Bipolar and the Art of
Roller-coaster Riding, the 2nd edition of Life on a Roller-coaster - living
well with depression and manic depression contain the opinions and ideas of
the author, Madeleine Kelly. The site and the book are intended to provide
helpful and informative material on the subjects addressed. The book is sold
with the understanding that the author is not engaged in rendering medical,
health, or any other kind of professional services in the book. The reader
should consult his or her medical, health, or other competent professional
before adopting any of the suggestions in the book or this site or drawing
inferences therefrom. The author and publisher disclaim all responsibility
for any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred
as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any
of the contents of this book or site.