COVID-19 and the M5 Mood Screening Tool

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated economic downturn have negatively affected many people’s mental health.  Recent studies indicate that 40-50% of adults in the United States report that their mental health has been negatively impacted by COVID-19.  Rates of anxiety and depression are rising in all age groups, and as the pandemic wears on, will continue to escalate. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have published suggestions for coping with COVID-19 related stress, and these include self-care through recognizing signs and symptoms of mood concerns. 

One barrier to improving mental health and stress-management is the lack of brief, free screening tools that can be self-administered and that are sensitive to both depression and anxiety.  People exhibit stress in different ways.  For some, anxiety symptoms predominate, for others, depressive symptoms are more prominent.  Based on the Brief Anxiety and Depression Scale (BADS®) that healthcare providers administer to their patients, we have developed a new rapid self-administered screening tool called the M5.

The M5 is a brief self-assessment of current mood functioning. It is intended for adults, ages 18 and older. This screener is designed to be completed in less than one minute and can be used by adults at home or in any setting. It is effective as a screening tool for depressive or anxiety symptoms that may interfere with everyday functioning, but it should not be used to make a diagnosis of clinical depression or anxiety disorder. Instead, it can indicate when a formal mood assessment is needed. The M5 can be completed by the patient or knowledgeable caregiver or family member.

The M5 is adapted from the Brief Anxiety and Depression Scale (BADS®). Mansbach, W. E., Mace, R. A., & Clark, K. M. (2015). The Brief Anxiety and Depression Scale (BADS): a new instrument for detecting anxiety and depression in long-term care residents. International Psychogeriatrics, 27(4), 673-681. doi: 10.1017/S1041610214002397.