Abstract:

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of Chinese version of Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ-C) in screening patients with mood disorder, and analyse the clinical characteristics of patients with potential bipolar disorder in those with depression disorder. Methods Three hundred and eight patients with mood disorder were evaluated by MDQ-C, including 134 patients with bipolar disorder(bipolar disorder group) and 174 patients with depression disorder (depression disorder group). The clinical characteristics of patients with MDQ-C score≥5 and those with MDQ-C score＜5 in depression disorder group were compared and analysed. Results MDQ score in depression disorder group (3.90±2.92) was significantly lower than that in bipolar disorder group (6.48±3.76)(t=6.574, P=0.000). The percent of patients with MDQ-C score≥5 in depression disorder group(34.5%, 60/174) was significantly lower than that in bipolar disorder group (64.9%, 87/134)(χ2=28.121, P=0.000). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the majority of patients with depression disorder and MDQ-C score≥5 were males (odds ratio=0.342, P=0.004) and younger ones age<25 years (odds ratio=0.952, P=0.001), and were characterized by appetite increase at first episode (odds ratio=5.007, P=0.029). Conclusion A substantial proportion of patients with depression disorder may have unrecognized bipolar disorder, and MDQ-C may serve as a screening tool to increase the recognition of bipolar disorder. Patients with depression disorder and characteristics of male gender, age<25 years and appetite increase at first episode may potentially be those with bipolar disorder.

Key words: depression disorder, bipolar disorder, Mood Disorder Questionnaire, clinical characteristics