Lifetime mood spectrum symptoms among bipolar patients and healthy controls: a cross sectional study with the Mood Spectrum Self-Report questionnaire

Background: The "spectrum" model has advantages for the conceptualization of mental disorders, representing a complementary approach to the currently available categorical systems. We carried out a study in order to assess lifetime mood symptoms among patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and healthy controls from a dimensional perspective.

Methods: The Mood Spectrum Self-Report instrument (MOODS-SR) was administered to 101 bipolar patients (52 BD I, 32 BD II, and 17 BD NOS, 36 males/65 females, mean age+SD=36.10±13.34 years) and 38 healthy controls (16 males/22females, mean age+SD=35.18±13.70 years). The scores of the different MOOD-SR scales and subscales among patients and controls were compared using non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis).

Results: Bipolar patients scored significantly higher than healthy controls on the total MOOD-SR scores (BD: mean±SD=98.65±22.17; HC: mean±SD=12.92±10.72; p<0.01) and all subdomains. Multiple comparisons revealed lower scores among controls when compared to each one of the subtypes of BD, also regarding the total scores and all subdomains (p<0.01). Comparisons across the different subtypes of BD revealed statistically significant higher scores among BD I patients when compared to BD II and BD NOS patients, only in regard to the total MOOD-SR scores (BD I: mean±SD=102.94±22.79; BD II: mean±SD=93.53±21.97; BD NOS: mean±SD= 94.88±18.68; p=0.03) and two subdomains: mood mania and energy mania.

Conclusions: These results, although preliminary, suggest that even though the MOODS-SR seems effective in distinguishing BD patients from HC, it is not as good in discriminating different subtypes of BD, especially in respect to lifetime depressive symptoms.

Limitations: Our sample size was small, and comprised by outpatients. The MOOD-SR measures only lifetime symptoms and does not take into account the progression of mood symptoms or the current mood state of patients.