4 replies to this topic

[Zeratall]

Hey guys!

I know trying to measure mood 100% objectively would be pretty hard, but I am about to begin a very detailed 30 day log for various things, such as nootropics, brainwave entrainment,etc. In my log I am going to try to keep things as objective as possible. I plan on doing this by measuring and documenting things such as sleep quality, diet, exercise, cognitive ability, and hopefully mood.

I have already figured out how I am going to measure everything except for mood. I was thinking about using one of those mood questionnaires doctors have you take whenever they suspect depression. However in my google search I was unable to find one that seems detailed enough and professional.

My question is, do you think this is a very good way to accurately measure mood by minimizing as much subjectiveness as possible? If so, does anyone have a questionnaire or know of one I could use in my log? If this is not a good way to measure mood, what would be a better way? I am open to all suggestions and comments.

Thank you for taking the time to read this!

Edited by Zeratall, 22 July 2013 - 11:33 PM.

[Tom_]

The problem is that mood questionnaires work on the basis of discovering pathology rather than evaluating normalcy - in other words if you are not depressed your score will not vary much where as if there is mood pathology your score could vary a great deal. This is all well and good when looking for depressive disorder but not very useful for ruling normal mood. Much the same can be said for a bi-polar mood disorder questionnaire.

The other problem is different questionnaires measure different areas. The two most used in research are the Beck depression inventory 2 and the Hamilton rating scale for depression (only the first 17 questions are rated). For example the Beck Depression Inventory places a bigger emphasis on cognitive symptoms while Hamilton which is carried out by the clinician focuses on behavioral & physical symptoms. The Questionnaires although tend to carry inherent bias towards particular presentations of depressive disorder.

For example, uncovering masked depression by asking about abnormal cognitions and feelings isn't very likely to yield a correctly positive result while the Hamilton focuses only on typical neurovegative symptoms (insomnia, anorexia, weight loss) which are likely to down play atypical depressive presentations (hyperphagia, hypersomnia, weight gain). In the case of the Hamilton this could be a very big problem, 40% of depressive disorders are diagnosed as atypical and only about 20% as melancholic which presents primarily with neurovegative symptoms, the other 40% of depressive disorders are all over the place.

[Zeratall]

Tom,

Thank you for that insightful and informative post. When first contemplating the problem (measuring mood), I wasn't sure on exactly how to do this. Even though I came to the conclusion a questionnaire would be my best bet, I was and still am very skeptical as I think questionnaires are still subjective, simply because its my interpretation of how I am feeling rather than a derivative of my behavior. After your last post, I realize that using a questionnaire used for diagnosing mood disorders is the wrong approach. However because you know a lot more about the subject than I do, I would like to pose a one more question Tom.

From your last response I understand a questionnaire used for diagnosis wont indicated much for changes in "normal" individuals. However will a "general" mood questionnaire (such as moodscope.com) indicated changes? the reason I ask is because I was thinking about using this for my log, as the site allows you to graph certain areas in mood, such as inspiration,irritability ,etc. I was thinking for nootropic data collection, this would be ideal as some nootropics only affect certain areas of ones mood.

Again thank you for your earlier response, as I found it very informative. I am looking forward to your future response on the subject

[Godof Smallthings]

I can't give you anything as valuable in terms of a theoretical answer as Tom, but whatever evaluation you decide on, I would recommend you observe and consider how you interact with people throughout the day, because those interactions can be significantly different depending on daily mood (and also, of course, how sensitive you are to other people's mood).

[Zeratall]

I can't give you anything as valuable in terms of a theoretical answer as Tom, but whatever evaluation you decide on, I would recommend you observe and consider how you interact with people throughout the day, because those interactions can be significantly different depending on daily mood (and also, of course, how sensitive you are to other people's mood).

Hey Godof, Thanks for the post!

I also suspected that others would possibly affect my mood, because of this everyday I write a few short sentences about my day, for example if I was annoyed with someone, or if I didn't feel very rested!