Bipolar Test: Check for Signs of Mania and Hypomania
This free bipolar test asks about periods of unusually high or irritable mood and energy, the experiences that set bipolar disorder apart from depression. Your answers never leave your device.
At a glance
- 15 questions, mostly yes or no
- About 4 minutes to finish
- Built from the DSM-5 criteria for manic and hypomanic episodes
- Private: scored in your browser. We never see, store, or email your answers.
- Results you can use: how your answers line up with each criterion, and where care would likely start
- For adults 18 and older
Take the free bipolar test
Bipolar disorder is defined by episodes of mania or hypomania, periods of unusually elevated or irritable mood and energy. This free test asks about those periods across your whole life and compares your answers with the DSM-5 criteria clinicians use.
That matters because many people with bipolar disorder first seek help for depression. Unless someone asks about the highs, bipolar disorder can be missed for years.
What does this bipolar test measure?
The test follows the structure of the DSM-5 criteria for a manic or hypomanic episode:
- Mood (questions 1–2): an elevated, expansive, or irritable mood beyond your normal range
- Energy (question 3): a clear increase in energy or activity
- Other symptoms (questions 4–10): inflated confidence, less need for sleep, rapid speech, racing thoughts, distractibility, increased activity or restlessness, and risky behavior
- Timing and impact (questions 11–13): whether symptoms happened together, how long they lasted, and how much trouble they caused
- History (questions 14–15): past depression and family history
How is the bipolar test scored?
Your result compares your answers with the DSM-5 pattern for a manic or hypomanic episode. That pattern needs all of the following:
- An elevated or irritable mood and increased energy or activity
- At least 3 of the 7 other symptoms, or 4 if the mood was only irritable
- Symptoms happening during the same period
- Lasting at least 4 days for hypomania, or a week for mania
If your answers meet the full pattern, we flag it as matching a hypomanic or manic episode. If they meet part of it, we flag signs worth discussing. Your results show how you lined up on each criterion.
How accurate is an online bipolar test?
The most widely used bipolar screener, the Mood Disorder Questionnaire, is copyrighted, so we built our own checklist directly from the DSM-5 criteria and say so plainly. It hasn’t been validated as a research instrument.
Any self-report bipolar test has limits. People often remember highs as simply feeling good, and other things, like thyroid problems, substances, some medications, ADHD, or trauma, can cause similar periods. That’s why a positive result is a reason for an evaluation, not a conclusion.
How our team reads your results
Here’s what our clinicians pay attention to when someone brings in a result like this.
The highs tell the story. Depression is common. What points to bipolar disorder is a distinct period of elevated or irritable mood and energy that other people noticed too.
Sleep is a key clue. Needing much less sleep and not feeling tired is one of the most telling signs of a manic or hypomanic period.
Depression plus highs changes treatment. Some antidepressants used alone can trigger a high in people with bipolar disorder, which is why getting the diagnosis right matters.
Family history counts. Bipolar disorder runs strongly in families, so a parent, sibling, or child with the diagnosis raises the importance of an evaluation.
Bipolar I vs. bipolar II
Bipolar I involves at least one manic episode, which lasts a week or more or leads to hospitalization. Bipolar II involves hypomanic episodes, which are shorter and less severe, along with major depression. Bipolar II is often mistaken for depression alone because the highs can feel like productive good stretches.
Mood swings vs. bipolar disorder
Everyone’s mood shifts. Bipolar disorder involves distinct episodes that last days or weeks and look clearly different from your usual self. Fast mood changes within a single day are more often linked to stress, anxiety, trauma, or other conditions.
What to do with your results
- Your answers match a manic or hypomanic episode: Get an evaluation with a psychiatric provider. Bipolar disorder is very treatable, and medication is often the foundation.
- Some signs of mood elevation: Mention these periods to any provider treating you, especially for depression.
- No clear signs, but your moods are hard to manage: Depression therapy, DBT, or individual therapy can help, whatever the cause.
- Having a severe high right now, or feeling unsafe: Contact a provider today, call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency.
Bipolar care at My Denver Therapy
Bipolar disorder usually responds best to medication and therapy together. At My Denver Therapy, both can happen in one place:
- Psychiatric medication management with our psychiatric nurse practitioner
- Individual therapy for tracking moods, protecting sleep, and spotting early warning signs
- DBT skills for managing intense emotions and impulses
- Support after an episode, for repairing relationships, work, and finances
We see clients in person in Denver, Greenwood Village, and Lone Tree, and online anywhere in Colorado. Most new clients start within a week, and our phones are answered 24/7. Book a free 15-minute consultation below to get started.
Frequently asked questions
Is this bipolar test free and private?
Yes. The test is free, and it runs entirely in your web browser. Your answers are never sent to us or stored anywhere, and we don’t ask for your name or email. When you close the page, your answers are gone unless you print or save them.
Can an online test tell me if I have bipolar disorder?
No. An online test can show whether your experiences match the pattern of mania or hypomania, but only a qualified clinician can diagnose bipolar disorder after a full evaluation.
What are the signs of bipolar disorder?
The defining sign is an episode of mania or hypomania: days of unusually high or irritable mood and energy, often with less need for sleep, rapid speech, racing thoughts, distractibility, and risky behavior. Most people with bipolar disorder also have periods of depression.
What is the difference between mania and hypomania?
Hypomania lasts at least four days and is noticeable to others but doesn’t cause severe problems. Mania lasts at least a week, or leads to hospitalization, and causes serious problems at work, at home, or with money or the law.
Can bipolar disorder look like depression?
Yes. Many people with bipolar disorder seek help during a depressive episode, and the highs go unmentioned. That’s why clinicians ask about past periods of high energy and less sleep before treating depression.
Is this the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ)?
No. The MDQ is copyrighted, so our team built this checklist directly from the DSM-5 criteria for manic and hypomanic episodes. It’s an educational checklist, not a validated research instrument.
How is bipolar disorder treated?
Bipolar disorder is usually treated with mood-stabilizing medication plus therapy. Therapy helps with tracking moods, protecting sleep, spotting early warning signs, and managing the effects of past episodes.
What should I do if my result matches mania or hypomania?
Schedule an evaluation with a psychiatric provider. If you’re having a severe high right now or are thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 or call 911.
If you’re in crisis
This test and our website aren’t meant for emergencies. If you’re in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988, or call Colorado Crisis Services at 1-844-493-8255 (text TALK to 38255). Both are free, confidential, and open 24/7. In an emergency, call 911.
Source: This checklist was written by My Denver Therapy for education, based on the DSM-5 criteria for manic and hypomanic episodes (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). It is not a validated psychological test and cannot diagnose bipolar disorder. This screening is for educational purposes only. It doesn’t diagnose any condition, and taking it doesn’t create a therapist-client relationship with My Denver Therapy.
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