Validity of the WHIPLASHED as a tool to identify bipolar disorder in women.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the validity of the WHIPLASHED clinician-administered interview, a mnemonic of questions on clinical factors and illness course used to screen for bipolar disorder, as a self-report questionnaire.

Methods: Participants (n = 82) were females recruited from an outpatient academic women's mental health clinic. Relevant symptom data were extracted from a self-report questionnaire designed to parallel the WHIPLASHED interview questions.