Rating scales for mania: is self-rating reliable?

This commentary addresses the issue of whether self-rating mania scales are reliable. After a brief introduction, several newly developed self-rating mania scales are described and critically reviewed. Among the issues discus sed are: the practical utility of self-assessment in patients with mania; t he influence of severity of illness on ability to self-report; and, the ext ent to which the presence of psychosis or the absence of insight significan tly interferes with a patients' ability to reliably complete self-rating me asures.. Data from recent studies suggests that self-rating mania scales ar e both reliable and valid for patients with manic symptoms, including those with psychotic features and those having little or no insight into their i llness. The merits of including self-rating measures in the assessment of m ania are discussed in terms of their value for both clinical and research p urposes. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.