Different patterns of manic/hypomanic symptoms in depression: A pilot modification of the hypomania checklist-32 to assess mixed depression

Abstract

Background: There are no self-report scales that assess manic/hypomanic symptoms in patients with depression. The aim of this study was to explore the use of a modified screening instrument for bipolar disorder to assess current manic/hypomanic symptoms in patients with a depressive episode.

Methods: The study sample consisted of 188 patients with Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR disorders (SCID) confirmed bipolar or major depressive disorder. We modified the Hypomania Checklist-32 (mHCL-32) to assess current instead of lifetime symptoms. An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted to identify clusters of mHCL-32 items that were endorsed concurrently. A Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was carried out to identify groups of patients with similar mHCL-32 item endorsement patterns.

Results: The EFA identified 3 factors: factor #1 ("elation-disinhibition-increased goal directed activity"), factor #2 ("risk-taking-impulsivity-substance use") and factor #3 (distractibility-irritability). The LCA yielded 3 classes (2 showing manic/hypomanic features). While class #1 patients endorsed more items related to disinhibition and racing thoughts, class #2 patients recognized more items associated with irritability and substance use.

Limitations: Lack of an adequate gold standard measure of mixed depression to compare to, the cross-sectional design and the lack of a validation sample.

Conclusions: The mHCL-32 scale allowed a comprehensive and convergent delineation of hypomanic/manic symptoms in depression. Further validation of these findings is needed.

Keywords: Bipolar disorder; Manic/hypomanic; Mixed depression; mHCL-32 scale.