Hypomania checklist-32
The HCL-32 has been translated into multiple languages
and purposely designed to screen for bipolar disorders in
patients already diagnosed with depression. Therefore, the
majority of the research has been done in psychiatric settings
versus the generalized community setting. Angst et
al. (2005) designed a study that compiled data from two
studies, one in Italy and one in Sweden, using the HCL-32
compared to the SCID Axis I Disorders-Clinician Version
(SCID-CV). The Italian study had 186 adult participants
from an outpatient psychiatric clinic, and the Swedish
study had 240 participants from two different psychiatric
hospital units for a total sample of 426. The combined results
of the studies, shown in Table 2, indicated a sensitivity
of 0.80 and specificity of 0.51 using a cutoff score of 14
or greater (Angst et al., 2005).
Forty et al. (2009) conducted a study in which 582
patients who already met DSM-IV criteria for either
bipolar I disorder or major depressive disorder were given
the HCL-32. The participants were all 18 years or older,
from the United Kingdom, and were already participating
in a molecular genetic studies of affective disorder (Forty
et al., 2009). “Data on sensitivity and specificity of the
checklist suggest that a score of 20 or more yields the best