Hi there I'm planning some research with bipolar disorder and need a self-report measure of depression symptoms (which is free to use!)
One's that fit the bill are PHQ-9 (designed for primary care) and Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (designed for general population research). Can't find any studies validating them with bipolar.
Any thoughts on which one I should use? Many thanks!
Dear Thomas, Michele Fornaro is on Research Gate and has studied Bipolar Disorder extensively and has a comprehensive knowledge of the tests that should be used in this disorder. Have a look at his research and you will see information on which tests he uses and his comments on various tests, it is well worth it. I have studied MDD and TRD very thoroughly. Both tests you mention are useful to gaining an indication of whether some may have a depressive type disorder through the manifestation of symptomologies, but the presence of a disorder requires further confirmation unless you already have established evidence from treating specialists that the individual has a confirmed diagnosis of the disorder. Another difficulty is that in Bipolar Disorder most patients will see a specialist when they are in a depressive state and not when they are in a manic phase, and misdiagnosis (unless proper protocols are followed) can occur as a result especially when based on a test which is very short and based on specific symptomologies which occur across a number of disorders.
Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale (BSDS) was developed by Ronald Pies, MD and was later refined and tested by S. Nassir Ghaemi, MD, MPH and colleagues.
"The BSDS was validated in its original version and demonstrated a high sensitivity (0.75 in bipolar I and 0.79 in bipolar II and not otherwise specified individuals). Its specificity was high (0.85), which confers a significant value to this diagnostic tool in the detection of a wide range of presentations within the bipolar spectrum. Ghaemi and colleagues determined that a score of 13 is the optimal threshold for specificity and sensitivity in the detection of bipolar spectrum disorders.
The BSDS has two sections. The first part includes a series of 19 sentences that describe the main symptoms of bipolar spectrum disorders. Each sentence is linked to a blank space that should be checked by patients who decide that the statement is an accurate description of their feelings or behaviors. Each checked statement is assigned 1 point.
The second portion of the BSDS asks the patient to select the degree to which the 19-item narrative “fits” his or her own experience. The scale offers four possibilities: “This story fits me very well, or almost perfectly” (6 points); “This story fits me fairly well” (4 points); “This story fits me to some degree, but not in most respects” (2 points); and “This story doesn't really describe me at all” (0 points)."
Review of BD-rating scales
Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2009 Jan;22(1):42-9. doi: 10.1097/YCO.0b013e328315a4d2.
Rating scales in bipolar disorder.
Picardi A.
I would recommend the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ, for literature see DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.157.11.1873 ) and the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) [http://www.hcp.med.harvard.edu/wmhcidi/instruments_papi.php]. Using a diagnostic interview (CIDI) allows clinical diagnosis and doesn't provide elevated symptom scores, only.
For differential diagnosis of unipolar vs bipolar depression see the recently published article of Culpepper in J Clin Psychiatry (DOI: 10.4088/JCP.13019tx2c). An overview and critical review of different rating scales in bipolar disorder is provided by Picardi's 2009 review in Curr Opin Psychiatry (DOI: 10.1097/YCO.0b013e328315a4d2), as Béatrice Ewalds-Kvist mentioned above.
Thankyou for your thoughts everyone much appreciated. Im looking for a questionnaire as a baseline measure of depression symptom severity rather than to be used to make a diagnosis (participants will already have an established diagnosis). These are useful questionnaires to consider thanks again
Beck Depression Inventory? Although this is quite lengthy and used for diagnostic purposes.
PHQ9 seems like it would fit the bill from what you want in your research - it is an indicator of severity of symptoms rather than a diagnostic tool.
Dear Jemma, the BDI-II and BDI-FS (FS for "Fast Screen") are not diagnostic instruments but capture severity of depressive symptoms. Even if this is disregarded in many studies in which diagnosis of depression is reported.
See also my answer in the discussion:"Which is the best scale to study anxiety and depression in patients with/without chronic illness?"
www.researchgate.net/post/Which_is_the_best_scale_to_study_anxiety_and_depression_in_patients_with_without_chronic_illness?
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