Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Aug;132(3):445-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2011.03.014. Epub 2011 Mar 26.

Sensitivity and specificity of the mood disorder questionnaire and the bipolar spectrum diagnostic scale in Argentinean patients with mood disorders

Rodolfo M Zaratiegui  1 , Gustavo H Vázquez, Laura S Lorenzo, Marcia Marinelli, Silvia Aguayo, Sergio A Strejilevich, Eduardo Padilla, Aníbal Goldchluk, Luis Herbst, Juan J Vilapriño, Gerardo García Bonetto, Marcelo G Cetkovich-Bakmas, Estela Abraham, Clara Kahn, Elizabeth A Whitham, Niki S Holtzman, Nassir Ghaemi
Affiliations

Sensitivity and specificity of the mood disorder questionnaire and the bipolar spectrum diagnostic scale in Argentinean patients with mood disorders

Rodolfo M Zaratiegui et al. J Affect Disord. 2011 Aug.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the sensitivity and specificity of two self-report instruments for detection of bipolarity in a sample of Argentinean patients.

Method: Spanish versions of the MDQ and the BSDS were administered over four months at 11 sites in Argentina. Diagnoses were made using DSM-IV criteria and the MINI. The study sample consisted of patients diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder (BD) Types I, II, or NOS. BDNOS diagnoses were made using extended guidelines for bipolar spectrum symptoms. Unipolar patients were used as a control group. Of 493 patients screened, 354 completed evaluation by MDQ and MINI, and 363 by BSDS and MINI.

Results: Specificity of MDQ was 0.97 and BSDS was 0.81. MDQ sensitivity was 0.70 for bipolar type I (BD-I), 0.52 for bipolar II (BD-II) and 0.31 for bipolar not otherwise specified (BDNOS). BSDS sensitivities were 0.75, 0.70 and 0.51 respectively.

Limitations: This study was performed in specialized outpatient settings and thus its results are not necessarily representative for other clinical settings. There was not a systematic evaluation of comorbid psychiatric disease or test-retest reliability.

Conclusion: The local versions of the MDQ and the BSDS showed a sensitivity and specificity comparable to previous research. Our results indicate that in this sample, MDQ was more specific for BD and BSDS was more sensitive to detect BD-II and NOS. Since BD-I is more readily recognized than bipolar spectrum disorders, enhanced sensitivity of BSDS for soft bipolarity may be an advantage.

PubMed Disclaimer