BACKGROUND:

Considering the difficulties in diagnosing bipolar disorder in clinical practice and lack of needed screening instruments in Persian language, the present study aimed at assessing sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values for the Persian Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale.

METHODS:

The study was conducted in a university-affiliated hospital in Tehran, Iran, in a sample of 181 consecutive outpatients aged 18-65 years. The used instruments were the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV axis I disorders, the Persian Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale, the Persian Mood Disorder Questionnaire, and the Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder.

RESULTS:

Most patients were males (58%) and had bipolar I disorder (57%). Other bipolar disorders and major depressive disorder were diagnosed as 5.5% and 21%, respectively. Test-retest of the Persian Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale and Mood Disorder Questionnaire demonstrated a good reliability for both. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the Persian Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale at the score of 14, were 0.52, 0.79, 0.81, and 0.49, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the parallel application of the Persian Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale and Mood Disorder Questionnaire were 0.76 and 0.67, respectively.

CONCLUSION:

The Persian Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale and Mood Disorder Questionnaire are useful in screening patients with bipolar disorder in clinical psychiatric settings. Parallel use of both tests seems more effective than either alone.