Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ)
Screens for bipolar spectrum disorders in patients presenting with mood symptoms
- Highest activation tier
- Recommended
- How it is scored
- Scored in code; a stated value is compared only from the structured summary or a supplied value
- Care settings
- Emergency department, Inpatient, Outpatient
When it activates
Scribeable activates a calculator from the encounter. The Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) can activate when the transcript or pasted chart context documents any of these:
- Bipolar disorder screening
- Mood disorder evaluation
- Mania/hypomania screening
- Depression not responding to antidepressants
- Mood instability assessment
A coded diagnosis can also activate it. ICD-10 prefixes carried by the registry: F30, F31.
Note-type scope: it activates on notes whose subject resolves to psychiatry, hospital medicine. A note that resolves to another subject does not carry it even when the clinician's specialty matches; a note with no resolvable subject (a generic consultation) falls back to the specialty match.
Inputs the note needs
3 inputs. Each is resolved from the transcript, the pasted chart context and charted labs; at this calculator’s tier a missing input is never requested, and a missing required input keeps the score out of the draft.
| Input | Type | Unit / options | Guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of "yes" responses on 13-item symptom checklist (0-13) | symptom | ||
| Did several symptoms occur during the same time period? | symptom | ||
| Did symptoms cause moderate or serious problems? | symptom |
Scoring
Positive screen requires ALL three: (1) ≥7 "yes" on 13-item checklist, (2) symptoms concurrent, (3) moderate/serious functional problems. Score: 1=positive, 0=negative.
Interpretation
Positive screen (all 3 criteria met): 73% sensitivity, 90% specificity for bipolar I/II in psychiatric settings. Negative screen: Bipolar less likely but not excluded. A positive screen warrants structured diagnostic interview (SCID or MINI).
Evidence
Sources carried in Scribeable's citation registry for this calculator; guideline version: Hirschfeld RMA et al. 2000.
- Hirschfeld RM et al. Development and validation of a screening instrument for bipolar spectrum disorder: the Mood Disorder QuestionnaireHirschfeld et al. (MDQ) 2000 · 2000 · Level I · link last verified 2026-03-28
How Scribeable handles it in the note
When an encounter activates the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) (its highest tier is recommended), Scribeable does not ask you for missing inputs. The score is computed in code from whatever inputs resolve from the transcript, the pasted chart context or charted labs; a computed value is written into the draft only when every required input already resolves.
The score is computed in code from the resolved inputs, not recalled by the language model. A stated Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) value is compared against the computed one when the draft's structured summary carries it; a disagreement found there is flagged to the second drafting pass, which is instructed to correct the score and its interpretation, unless Scribeable has supplied the computed value to that pass, in which case the value the draft writes is checked against the supplied one and a detected difference is shown beside the note for you to adjudicate rather than silently rewritten.
Classified as a questionnaire: a patient-reported or clinician-rated instrument, where a spare activation carries low harm.
See it activate on your own encounter
14 days of full Pro. No sales call.
14-day Pro trial, no credit card required. Everything in Pro, including Rounding, for up to 150 notes. To keep Pro after day 14, subscribe for $79/month plus applicable tax. If you don't, nothing is charged and your account becomes read-only, with every note kept.