Bipolar Self-Check — Free 14-Question Elevated Mood Screening

The Elevated Mood Check (MEC-14) is a 14-item self-check that does not ask how you feel today. Instead, it looks back over your life for a stretch of several days or more when you were clearly not your usual self — noticeably elevated, sped up or overconfident. Each item is answered with "Never" (0 points), "Once or twice" (1 point) or "Several times" (2 points), and the whole check takes about 3 minutes. If you have never had such a period, simply choose "Never" throughout.

The first 12 items ask about signs that show up during such a period: mood and confidence rising sharply, needing little sleep without feeling tired, faster speech and racing thoughts, starting many plans at once, big purchases or decisions you would not normally make, getting irritable easily, and taking risks more boldly than usual. The last 2 items ask separately whether that behaviour caused problems at work, at school, with money or in relationships, and whether family or people close to you voiced concern.

"Signs of an elevated period" runs from 0 to 24: 0–5 is not distinct, 6–12 means some signs are present, 13–18 means multiple signs, and 19–24 means the signs are distinct. "What the period left behind" runs from 0 to 4: 0–1 is minimal impact, 2–3 is some impact, and 4 is distinct impact. The two scores are shown side by side rather than added together, because similar signs carry a different weight depending on whether they left a mark on your life.

Memory matters as much as the numbers. Folding events from different years into one "period" can push the score higher than it should be, while remembering that time only as "when I was in great shape" can pull it lower. Asking family or someone who has known you for a long time how you seemed back then helps fill the gaps. The result is a screening reference, not a diagnosis.

The items in this check were developed by Soundary itself; they are not a translation or adaptation of any standardized scale. Asking about past periods rather than the present follows the clinical habit of looking at the course of mood over time, not just today's state. Low periods are easy to recognize as hard times, but elevated ones are often remembered simply as "when things were going well" and slip by unnoticed.

Because it asks about the past, there is little point in retaking it often. Take it again if another period comes to mind or if you have gone through a similar stretch in recent months, and compare with your previous result. If several signs appeared or the period left marks on work, money or relationships, it is worth reviewing the whole course with a psychiatrist, even if you feel fine now.