Understanding Bipolar Disorder: Tests & Diagnosis

Bipolar disease is one of the most difficult mental disorders to test for and diagnose. Apart from psychological testing, a doctor goes by the patient's description of their symptoms as well as their own observations.

Diagnosis

• Even though there are unofficial tests one can take online, for an official diagnosis of bipolar disorder a person needs to be tested by a mental-health professional.

Tests

• The most commonly used tests are the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) and the Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale (BSDS). These tests are administered and evaluated by mental-health professionals.

MDQ

• The Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) consists of one question with thirteen items and two follow-up questions. The main goal of this test is to assess the person's quantity of manic and depressive episodes.

BSDS

• The Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale (BSDS) is made up of a series of sentences. Scoring is calculated by the number of sentences that the test taker agrees accurately describes him or her. The BSDS focuses on identifying manic behavior.

Considerations

• According to Bipolar-Lives.com, the Black Dog Institute Bipolar Online Test is a reliable online test to determine whether there are enough indicators of bipolar disorder to see a professional for further assessment.