revised 11/13/24
Use this guide if you completed MoodCheck using the online version. You’ll notice the scores below do not guide you to completely different treatment approaches. They’re supposed to help you, and your prescriber, think carefully. They give you a clue as to where on the mood spectrum your depression lies.
All of the questions you’ve just answered come from research about bipolar variations. The higher your score, the greater the likelihood that your depression has a bipolar part to it. That influences your treatment choices.
My Part One is over 16 or my Part Two is over 5
- Antidepressants are more likely to make your mood worse than if you had a lower score. Learn more about mood swings without mania.
- If you have depression plus anxiety, anger, agitation and/or attention problems, you could have a Mixed State depression. Antidepressants can cause and worsen Mixed States.
My Part One is between 10-16 and my Part Two is over 2
You may be in the middle of the Mood Spectrum. You might get conflicting diagnoses from different providers. Treatment recommendations may also vary. Should you avoid antidepressants, and use “mood stabilizers with antidepressant effects” instead? Learn more about the Mood Spectrum and mood swings without mania. If you’ve been told you have PTSD, or anxiety, or ADHD, or “borderline” — then read about how they overlap with mid-spectrum mixed states.
My Part One is less than 10 and my Part Two is less than 2
Antidepressants probably have only their standard risks. Learn about their benefits and risks before you proceed.
In-between scores
Treatment options for the high and medium scores above are very similar. If you are in between, start by reading about Mood Swings without Mania.
What if you between medium and low scores? Here, treatment choices are tricky. Different providers will often have very different opinions about what you should consider. There is no right answer — except to learn a lot about the different options so you can fully participate in decision-making.
Links
References
Parts A and B of the MoodCheck questionnaire are the Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale. The BSDS has several validation studies; here’s one. The family history in MoodCheck was used in another relevant validation study. The remaining MoodCheck questions are items from the Bipolarity Index, also validated. Key idea: 80 of the 100 points of the Bipolarity Index are given to MoodCheck Part C and D items: family history, age of onset, course of illness, and response to treatment.