Bipolar Prodrome Symptom Scale - Abbreviated Screen for Patients: Description and validation

• Published in: Journal of affective disorders 2019-04, Vol.249, p.357-365
• Main Authors: Van Meter, Anna, Guinart, Daniel, Bashir, Asjad, Sareen, Aditya, Cornblatt, Barbara A., Auther, Andrea, Carrión, Ricardo E., Carbon, Maren, Jiménez-Fernández, Sara, Vernal, Ditte L, Walitza, Susanne, Gerstenberg, Miriam, Saba, Riccardo, Cascio, Nella Lo, Correll, Christoph U.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Assessment; Bipolar disorder; Prodrome; Validation
• ISSN: 0165-0327; 1573-2517
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2019.02.040

•There is no standard tool for measuring the symptoms of the bipolar prodrome, which has limited progress toward early identification.•The clinician-administered Bipolar Prodrome Symptom Interview and Scale-Full Prospective (BPSS-FP) is a valid way to assess for symptoms of the prodrome to bipolar disorder, but takes time and clinical expertise to administer.•The Bipolar Prodrome Symptom Scale-Abbreviated Screen for Patients (BPSS-AS-P) is a screening tool to identify people who would benefit from further evaluation with the BPSS-FP interview.•This study is an important step in the development and validation of a screening tool that could be an efficient way to identify individuals at risk for bipolar disorder. There is no standard method for assessing symptoms of the prodrome to bipolar disorder (BD), which has limited progress toward early identification and intervention. We aimed to validate the Bipolar Prodrome Symptom Scale-Abbreviated Screen for Patients (BPSS-AS-P), a brief self-report derived from the validated, clinician-rated Bipolar Prodrome Symptom Interview and Scale-Full Prospective (BPSS-FP), as a means to screen and identify people for whom further evaluation is indicated. Altogether, 134 participants (aged 12–18 years) were drawn from a study of the pre-syndromal stage of mood and psychotic disorders. All participants had chart diagnoses of a mood- or psychosis-spectrum disorder. Participants were interviewed with the BPSS-FP and completed measures of mania and non-mood psychopathology. Prior to being interviewed, patients completed the BPSS-AS-P. Scores on the BPSS-AS-P were determined by summing the severity and frequency ratings for each item. BPSS-AS-P scores were highly reliable (Cronbach's alpha = 0.94) and correlated with the interview-based BPSS-FP Mania Symptom Index (r = 0.55, p