Mania & Hypomania Test (MDQ)
A confidential self-assessment built on the full Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ), the validated 13-item screen for lifetime manic and hypomanic symptoms, including the two follow-up questions most online versions skip. You get an instant, plain-language result scored against the real three-part screening rule, plus an optional in-depth personalized report to keep or bring to a clinician.
Mania & Hypomania Test (MDQ) is a free, confidential 15-question self-assessment, based on the full MDQ. It takes about 4 minutes, runs entirely in your browser, and gives you a plain-language score across 3 interpretation bands plus an optional in-depth report. It is an educational screening, not a diagnosis.
Thirteen symptoms, and the two questions that make it a real screen
Mania and hypomania rarely announce themselves. They show up as feeling great, needing less sleep, and getting more done, which is exactly why they get missed. The MDQ asks about thirteen lifetime experiences, then checks whether they clustered together and caused real problems, because the validated screen needs all three.
The thirteen MDQ symptoms
Thirteen yes-or-no questions about periods when you were not your usual self: elevated or irritable mood, inflated confidence, less need for sleep, racing thoughts, fast talking, distractibility, extra energy and activity, and risky or out-of-character behavior. Seven or more is the validated threshold.
The three-part screening rule
A positive MDQ screen needs all three: at least 7 symptoms, several of them happening during the same period of time, and a moderate or serious impact on your life. We ask the clustering and impact questions separately and show them next to your symptom count.
Your whole life, not last week
Every question begins with whether there has EVER been a period when you were not your usual self. The MDQ screens lifetime history, so it can catch episodes that ended months or years ago, which is exactly what a clinician needs to know about.
| Feature | Typical free quiz | Psychology.com |
|---|---|---|
| Full MDQ symptom set | Sometimes | Yes, all 13 questions |
| Co-occurrence + impairment questions | Rarely | Yes, both asked and shown |
| Real three-part screening rule explained | Vague labels | Yes, in plain language |
| Clinician-reviewed interpretation | Rarely | Yes, clinician reviewed |
| Optional in-depth personalized report | No | Yes, written to your exact scores |
| Confidential (no data sent) | Often tracked | Runs in your browser |
How scoring works
Answers are scored 0–13 in total. Your result falls into one of 3 bands:
| Score | Band | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3 | Few elevated-mood experiences | You reported three or fewer of the thirteen MDQ symptoms, which is well below the screening threshold of seven. |
| 4–6 | Some elevated-mood experiences, below threshold | You reported four to six of the thirteen MDQ symptoms. That is a real number of elevated-mood experiences, but it sits below the validated screening threshold of seven. |
| 7–13 | Meets the symptom-count criterion | You reported seven or more of the thirteen MDQ symptoms, which meets the symptom-count part of the validated screening rule. Whether this is a full positive screen depends on your other two answers. |
Methodology & sources
This test presents the full Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ), developed and validated by Hirschfeld and colleagues (2000) as a screen for bipolar spectrum symptoms: 13 yes-or-no questions about lifetime manic and hypomanic experiences, a question about whether several of those experiences happened during the same period of time, and a question about how much of a problem they caused. Wording stays faithful to the validated instrument while reading clearly. The validated screening rule has three parts, and all three must be met for a positive screen: a symptom count of 7 or more, symptoms clustering in the same period, and a moderate or serious impact on life. Your headline result is banded on the symptom count, and your clustering and impact answers are shown alongside it so you can read the full rule against your own answers.
In the original psychiatric outpatient validation the MDQ identified about 73 percent of people with a bipolar spectrum disorder while correctly screening out about 90 percent of those without one; in the 2003 general-population study sensitivity was much lower, so a negative screen means less outside clinical settings and a positive one still deserves follow-up. This test is provided for education and self-reflection, not diagnosis. A positive screen means a professional evaluation is worthwhile, not that you have a bipolar spectrum condition, and a negative screen does not rule one out. Evaluating mania, hypomania, or bipolar disorder belongs with a licensed clinician, usually a psychiatrist, who will also ask about depressive episodes and rule out other causes.
References
- Hirschfeld RM, Williams JB, Spitzer RL, et al. Development and validation of a screening instrument for bipolar spectrum disorder: the Mood Disorder Questionnaire. Am J Psychiatry. 2000;157(11):1873–1875. doi.org/10.1176/ajp.157.11.1873
- Hirschfeld RM, Holzer C, Calabrese JR, et al. Validity of the Mood Disorder Questionnaire: a general population study. Am J Psychiatry. 2003;160(1):178–180. doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.160.1.178
Cite this source
Psychology.com. (2026, August 25). Mania & Hypomania Test (MDQ). Psychology.com. https://psychology.com/tests/mania
Mania & Hypomania Test (MDQ) FAQ
What is the Mood Disorder Questionnaire?
The MDQ is the most widely used screen for manic and hypomanic symptoms. It asks 13 yes-or-no questions about lifetime experiences, whether several of them happened during the same period, and how much of a problem they caused. It was developed for screening, it is not a diagnosis, and this test presents the full instrument rather than a shortened version.
What counts as a positive MDQ screen?
All three parts of the validated rule must be met: at least 7 of the 13 symptoms, several of them occurring during the same period of time, and a moderate or serious impact on your life, such as trouble with work, family, money, or the law. Seven symptoms alone is not a positive screen, and neither is a serious impact without the symptom count. Meeting all three means a professional evaluation is clearly worthwhile.
How is this different from the bipolar test?
They share the same validated instrument, the MDQ. This test frames your result around recognizing manic and hypomanic episodes themselves: what they look like, why they get missed, and what the three-part rule means for your answers. The bipolar test frames the same screen around the bipolar spectrum as a whole, including the depressive side a clinician will ask about. Either way, an evaluation looks at both poles.
What is the difference between mania and hypomania?
Both involve elevated or irritable mood, extra energy, less need for sleep, and faster thoughts or speech. Mania is more severe: it lasts at least a week, causes serious problems with work or relationships, and can include psychosis or require hospitalization. Hypomania is a milder, shorter version that others notice but that does not cause that level of breakdown. The distinction matters because it separates bipolar I from bipolar II.
Is this test a diagnosis?
No. It is for education and self-reflection only. Mania, hypomania, and bipolar disorder can only be diagnosed by a licensed clinician through a careful interview covering your full history, including depressive periods. A positive screen here is a reason to seek that assessment, not a conclusion, and a negative screen does not rule anything out.
If I feel great, why would I get checked?
Because elevated episodes tend to look better from the inside than from the outside, and because what follows them often is not great. Reduced sleep, fast decisions, spending, and risk-taking can do real damage before the episode ends, and many people crash into depression afterward. If the people around you say you are not your usual self, that outside view is worth taking seriously even when you feel wonderful.
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