Home Tell a Friend Site Map

Select Text Size: A A A

	HOME > Tools to Help Patients with Bipolar Disorder > Mood Disorder Questionnaire

About LAMICTAL

Taking LAMICTAL

About Bipolar Disorder

Resource Links

	Tools to Help Patients with Bipolar Disorder

	Finding a Healthcare Provider

	Finding a Support Group

	Bipolar Disorder Glossary

	Online Resources

Mood Disorder Questionnaire

If you think you may have bipolar disorder, this Mood Disorder Questionnaire may help.

The Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) is a 13-item checklist developed by Robert M. A. Hirschfeld, MD, and published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.¹ The MDQ is designed to help your healthcare professional determine what type of mood disorder you may be experiencing.

Answer the questions below, then print out the MDQ and give it to your healthcare provider.

The answers you provide are not being stored or analyzed by this Web site. This questionnaire is not intended to give you a diagnosis. Only your healthcare provider can give you an accurate diagnosis.

1. 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 you were so hyper that you got into trouble?
Yes No

...you were so irritable that you shouted at people or started fights or arguments?
Yes No

...you felt much more self-confident than usual?
Yes No

...you got much less sleep than usual and found you didn't really miss it?
Yes No

...you were much more talkative or spoke much faster than usual?
Yes No

...thoughts raced through your head or you couldn't slow your mind down?
Yes No

...you were so easily distracted by things around you that you had trouble concentrating or staying on track?
Yes No

...you had much more energy than usual?
Yes No

...you were much more active or did many more things than usual?
Yes No

...you were much more social or outgoing than usual, for example, you telephoned friends in the middle of the night?
Yes No

...you were much more interested in sex than usual?
Yes No

...you did things that were unusual for you or that other people might have thought were excessive, foolish, or risky?
Yes No

...spending money got you or your family into trouble?
Yes No

2. If you checked YES to more than one of the above, have several of these ever happened during the same period of time?

Yes No

3. How much of a problem did any of these cause you—like being unable to work; having family, money, or legal troubles; getting into arguments or fights? Please select one response only.

No Problem
Minor Problem
Moderate Problem
Serious Problem

Click here to print this questionnaire and give it to your healthcare provider. Your answers will help your healthcare provider determine what type of mood disorder you may be experiencing.

Click here if you would like to download the above Mood Disorder Questionnaire in pdf format.

If you think the information on this site may be helpful to someone you know, Tell a Friend.

Reference: 1. Hirschfeld RMA, Williams JB, Spitzer RL, et al. Development and validation of a screening instrument for bipolar spectrum disorder: The Mood Disorder Questionnaire. Am J Psychiatry. 2000;157;1873-1875.

Important Safety Information about LAMICTAL

Prescription LAMICTAL Tablets are not for everyone. Most people who take LAMICTAL tolerate it well. Common side effects with LAMICTAL include dizziness, headache, blurred or double vision, lack of coordination, sleepiness, nausea, vomiting, insomnia, tremor, and rash. LAMICTAL may cause other side effects not listed here. If you develop any side effects or symptoms you are concerned about, or if you need more information, call your doctor.

Although most patients who develop a rash while receiving LAMICTAL have mild to moderate symptoms, some individuals may develop a serious skin reaction that requires hospitalization. It is not possible to predict whether a mild rash will develop into a more serious one. Rarely, deaths have been reported. These serious skin reactions are most likely to happen within the first 8 weeks of treatment with LAMICTAL. Serious skin reactions occur more often in children than in adults.

Rashes may be more likely to occur if you: take LAMICTAL in combination with valproate (brand names are Depakene� (valproic acid)* and Depakote� (divalproex sodium)*), take a higher starting dose of LAMICTAL than your doctor prescribed, or increase your dose of LAMICTAL faster than prescribed.

If you experience any of the following with or without a skin rash, tell your doctor immediately: hives, fever, swollen lymph glands, painful sores in the mouth or around the eyes, or swelling of lips or tongue. These symptoms may be the first signs of a serious reaction. A doctor should evaluate your condition and determine if you should continue taking LAMICTAL.

Serious blood problems or liver problems have been reported with LAMICTAL, so tell your doctor if you develop symptoms such as unusual bruising or bleeding, severe muscle pain, weakness, fatigue, yellowing of the eyes or skin, and/or frequent infections.

You should not take LAMICTAL if you had an allergic reaction to it in the past.

LAMICTAL is indicated for the maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder to delay the time to occurrence of mood episodes (depression, mania, hypomania, mixed episodes) in adults treated for acute mood episodes with standard therapy. The effectiveness of LAMICTAL in the acute treatment of mood episodes has not been established.

*Depakene (valproic acid) and Depakote (divalproex sodium) are registered trademarks of Abbott Laboratories.

Patient Information Leaflet for LAMICTAL® (lamotrigine)

Complete Prescribing Information for LAMICTAL

Complete Prescribing Information is provided in Adobe�s Portable Document Format (PDF). To view these documents, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have it and you are unable to or do not wish to download Acrobat Reader, but still wish to receive complete Prescribing Information, please click here.

About LAMICTAL | Taking LAMICTAL | About Bipolar Disorder

Getting Started with LAMICTAL | For Family and Friends | Tell a Friend | Site Map