What this am I bipolar quiz measures
This am I bipolar quiz estimates how often you experience depressive symptoms, elevated mood symptoms, and functional disruption over the past 12 months. Eight items cover prolonged sadness, anhedonia, fatigue, and safety. Eight items cover elevated energy, racing thoughts, impulsivity, and irritability. Eight items cover work, relationships, routines, and help-seeking patterns disrupted by mood shifts.
Depressive symptoms
Prolonged sadness, lost interest, fatigue, guilt, withdrawal, and thoughts of self-harm during low periods.
Manic and hypomanic symptoms
Elevated energy, reduced sleep need, racing thoughts, impulsivity, irritability, and others noticing unusual intensity.
Functional impact
Work or school performance, missed obligations, impulsive life decisions, unpredictable routines, and delayed help-seeking.
Bipolar pattern signal
Flags when both depressive and manic/hypomanic domain scores are elevated with mania core items high. A pattern worth discussing with a clinician, not a diagnosis.
How it works
Three steps from first question to your severity band. Click Start Quiz to open the interactive screener in a full-screen modal.
Answer 24 frequency items
Rate each statement from Not at all to Very often over the past 12 months. There is no timer and no auto-advance between items.
Items map to three domains
Your answers accumulate percentages for depressive, manic/hypomanic, and functional impact domains, plus mania and depression core flags.
View severity band and next steps
Results show Minimal, Mild, Moderate, or Severe screening signals with domain bars, bipolar pattern flag, and crisis resources when appropriate.
Take the am I bipolar quiz
Rate 24 mood-related statements on a five-point frequency scale. Your answers produce an overall severity percentage, three domain scores, mania and depression core flags, and a bipolar pattern signal with plain-language next steps.
Opens in a focused modal. No account required. Results stay on screen.
What your result means
Your overall screening percentage is the average of depressive, manic/hypomanic, and functional impact domain scores, each normalized to 0 through 100. The band groups that average into plain-language severity signals. Domain bars show whether lows, highs, or daily disruption drive your result. The bipolar pattern signal appears when both mood poles score elevated.
| Screening band | Score range | Typical reading |
|---|---|---|
| Minimal Screening Signal | 0 to 25% | Few frequent mood symptoms; brief shifts may still occur after stress or sleep loss |
| Mild Screening Signal | 26 to 45% | Some frequent symptoms worth monitoring, especially if patterns repeat across months |
| Moderate Screening Signal | 46 to 65% | Frequent symptoms that may warrant professional mood evaluation |
| Severe Screening Signal | 66 to 100% | Heavy symptom burden with crisis resources and referral guidance shown |
Depressive, manic, and functioning domains
The diagram below shows how domain scores appear in your results. A high manic score with moderate depressive symptoms might trigger the bipolar pattern signal even if your overall average sits in a lower band.
What this quiz can and cannot tell you
Can tell you
- Whether your self-reported symptoms lean minimal, mild, moderate, or severe on this screener
- A severity percentage and three domain scores for depressive, manic/hypomanic, and functioning items
- Mania core, depression core, and bipolar pattern flags inspired by published screening logic
- A starting point for conversations with a psychiatrist about mood evaluation
Cannot tell you
- Whether you have bipolar I, bipolar II, cyclothymia, or any other clinical condition
- Official MDQ scores comparable to published research norms
- Whether you need lithium, antipsychotics, hospitalization, or workplace clearance
- Medical causes such as thyroid disease, substance use, or medication side effects
MDQ and bipolar screening research
In 2000, Robert Hirschfeld and colleagues published the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) as a brief screener for bipolar spectrum conditions. The MDQ asks about episodes of elevated mood, irritability, racing thoughts, and functional consequences, often with a yes/no format. Positive screens prompt follow-up psychiatric evaluation, though only clinical assessment can confirm bipolar I, bipolar II, or related conditions.
The Quiz Hub built this am I bipolar quiz as an expanded, plain-language screener inspired by MDQ themes. It uses eight mania core items, seven depression core items, and nine supplemental functioning questions with a 12-month recall window and four result bands. That trade-off favors readability for casual users while naming the Hirschfeld et al. (2000) source honestly. The National Institute of Mental Health notes that bipolar disorder is treatable and that early evaluation can connect people to mood-stabilizing therapy and medication when appropriate.
| The Quiz Hub test | What it adds |
|---|---|
| Depression test | PHQ-inspired two-week low mood screener, not elevated-mood or cycling items |
| Anxiety test | GAD-7 inspired worry and tension screener, not manic or hypomanic symptoms |
| Mental health test | General wellbeing across mood, anxiety, sleep, and functioning, not bipolar-specific poles |
| This am I bipolar quiz | MDQ-inspired core items plus functional impact scores with bipolar pattern signal and crisis resources on elevated bands |
Sample item: rating Often on feeling unusually energetic with less sleep raises your manic/hypomanic domain score. Rating Very often on prolonged sadness raises depressive symptoms. Borderline personality disorder, ADHD, substance use, and thyroid conditions can mimic mood cycling, so clinicians rule out other causes during evaluation. Browse more screeners on our mental health and clinical hub or read how we review quizzes in our editorial policy.
Am I bipolar quiz FAQ
What does this am I bipolar quiz measure?
This am I bipolar quiz measures self-reported frequency of depressive symptoms, manic or hypomanic symptoms, and functional impact over the past 12 months. Twenty-four items cover prolonged sadness, elevated energy, racing thoughts, impulsivity, sleep changes, and work or relationship disruption. Results show a severity band, three domain scores, mania and depression core flags, and a bipolar pattern signal. It is not a clinical diagnosis.
Does a high screening result mean I have bipolar disorder?
No. A high screening signal means your responses suggest frequent mood-related symptoms on this abbreviated screener. Only a licensed psychiatrist or clinician can evaluate bipolar disorder through structured interviews, episode history, family history, and rule-out of other conditions. Online quizzes cannot confirm or deny a diagnosis.
How is this related to the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ)?
The Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ), developed by Robert Hirschfeld and colleagues, is a widely cited yes/no screener for bipolar spectrum conditions. Our online am I bipolar quiz uses original plain-language items inspired by MDQ themes on elevated mood, irritability, and functional impact, but uses a five-point frequency scale over 12 months rather than reproducing the published MDQ instrument. It is not validated for research or clinical use.
What should I do if I endorsed thoughts of self-harm?
If you rated Often or Very often on the self-harm item, or if you feel unsafe right now, call or text 988 (US) or your local crisis line immediately. You can also go to the nearest emergency room or tell someone you trust to stay with you while you call for support. This quiz is not an emergency service.
How long does the am I bipolar quiz take?
Most people finish in about 6 minutes. There are 24 items on a five-point frequency scale from Not at all to Very often with a 12-month recall window. You can pause and return in the same browser session thanks to autosave.
Who reviewed this content?
Dr. Elena Vasquez, PhD, reviewed the test framing and result explanations. See our editorial policy for review standards.
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