Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2026
09:55
Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder
Published on: March 8, 2018
Three studies on self-report scales to detect bipolar disorder
Christopher J Miller1, Sheri L Johnson, Thomas R Kwapil
1Department of Psychology, University of Miami, 5665 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA. cmiller@psy.miami.edu
Journal of Affective Disorders
|August 11, 2010
Summary
Self-report scales for bipolar disorder detection yielded mixed results. The Hypomanic Personality Scale-6 aided recruitment, while the General Behavior Inventory-15 showed promise in undergraduates, highlighting the need for improved screening tools.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Psychological Assessment
Background:
- Investigating the utility of self-report questionnaires for identifying bipolar disorder.
- Examining scale effectiveness across diverse settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the efficacy of self-report scales in detecting bipolar disorder.
- To develop and validate screening tools for bipolar disorder.
Main Methods:
- Developed a short form of the Hypomanic Personality Scale (HPS-6).
- Utilized HPS-6 for community recruitment of bipolar disorder participants.
- Administered HPS, Mood Disorder Questionnaire, and GBI-15 to undergraduates, validated by diagnostic interviews.
Main Results:
- HPS-6 facilitated recruitment of individuals with a history of hypomanic episodes.
- The General Behavior Inventory-15 (GBI-15) showed potential as a screening tool in undergraduate populations.
- Approximately one-third of participants screening positive on GBI-15 met bipolar disorder criteria via SCID.
Conclusions:
- Self-report scales offer mixed findings for bipolar disorder detection.
- HPS-6 proved effective for recruiting participants with manic/hypomanic histories.
- Further development of sensitive and specific screening scales for bipolar disorder is warranted.
Related Concept Videos
01:22Self-Report Tests of Personality
Self-report inventories are objective personality assessments that use multiple-choice items or numbered scales, typically ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). They are often called Likert scales after Rensis Likert. These inventories are widely used due to their ease of administration and cost-effectiveness. One of the most prominent examples is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), initially developed in the 1940s to assess abnormal personality traits.
01:30Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a chronic mental health condition marked by significant mood fluctuations, including episodes of mania and depression. Elevated energy levels, heightened mood or irritability, impulsive behavior, reduced sleep needs, rapid speech, racing thoughts, inflated self-esteem, and distractibility characterize mania. Individuals with bipolar disorder often alternate between depressive and manic states, with periods of emotional stability lasting an average of six months to a year.
01:24Strategies of Self-Presentation III: Self-Monitoring
Self-monitoring is a central construct in understanding individual differences in self-presentation strategies across social contexts. It refers to how individuals observe, regulate, and control their expressive behavior and self-presentation following situational cues. Self-monitoring reflects a person's sensitivity to social appropriateness and willingness to adapt behavior to fit varying interpersonal demands.High vs. Low Self-Monitoring IndividualsIndividuals high in self-monitoring are...
02:45Self-Discrepancy Theory
One influential perspective on what motivates people's behavior is detailed in Tory Higgin's self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). He proposed that people hold disagreeing internal representations of themselves that lead to different emotional states.
01:29Self-Discrepancy and Its Effects
Self-discrepancy theory explains how people compare their actual self to their ideal and ought selves and how mismatches between these self-guides can lead to emotional distress. Developed by E. Tory Higgins, the theory distinguishes among three components of self-concept: the actual self, the ideal self, and the ought self. These refer respectively to how individuals perceive themselves, how they aspire to be, and how they believe they are obligated to be. Emotional well-being, self-esteem,...
02:05Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
People can go to great lengths to protect their self-image and present themselves in ways that they want others to see them. Sociologist Erving Goffman presented the idea that a person is like an actor on a stage. Calling his theory dramaturgy, Goffman believed that we use “impression management” to present ourselves to others as we hope to be perceived. Each situation is a new scene, and individuals perform different roles depending on who is present (Goffman, 1959). Think about the way you...