Evaluation of the 13-item Hypomania Checklist and a brief 3-item manic features questionnaire within UK primary care

Singh, S., Scouller, P. and Smith, D. J. (2017) Evaluation of the 13-item Hypomania Checklist and a brief 3-item manic features questionnaire within UK primary care. BJPsych Bulletin, 41(4), pp. 187-191. (doi: 10.1192/pb.bp.116.054577) (PMID:28811911) (PMCID:PMC5537571)

Abstract

Aims and method The mean delay for bipolar disorder diagnosis is 10 years. Identification of patients with previous hypomania is challenging, sometimes resulting in misdiagnosis. The aims of this study were: (a) to estimate the proportion of primary care patients with depression currently taking antidepressants who have undiagnosed bipolar disorder and (b) to compare a brief 3-item manic features questionnaire with the Hypomania Checklist (HCL-13). The sample comprised patients with a recorded diagnosis of depression, either on long-term antidepressant therapy or with previous multiple courses of antidepressants. Results Of 149 participants assessed, 24 (16.1%) satisfied criteria for bipolar disorder. Areas under the curve (AUC) for the 3-item questionnaire and the HCL-13 were similar (0.79 and 0.72, respectively) but positive predictive values (PPV) were low. Clinical implications Bipolar disorder may be underdiagnosed in primary care. A 3-item questionnaire could be used by general practitioners to screen for bipolar disorder in their patients with depression.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Smith, Professor Daniel
• Authors: Singh, S., Scouller, P., and Smith, D. J.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Mental Health and Wellbeing
• Journal Name: BJPsych Bulletin
• Publisher: The Royal College of Psychiatrists
• ISSN: 2056-4694
• ISSN (Online): 2056-4708
• Published Online: 09 February 2017
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2017 The Authors
• First Published: First published in BJPsych Bulletin 41(4): 187-191
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License