Self Reported Hypomanic and Psychotic Symptoms are Positively Correlated in an International Sample of Undergraduate Students

This study aimed to examine whether self-reported hypomanic and psychotic symptoms are correlated in a non-clinical population. A sample of 303 undergraduates from the UK, Ireland, the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada (14.7% male, 84.2% female, age 18-65) completed an online battery consisting of the 32-item Hypomania Checklist (HCL-32) and psychosis questions from the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS-P). The HLC-32 total score correlated significantly with the DIS-P total score; rho = 0.16, p<0.01, DIS-P Delusional beliefs subscale; rho = 0.15, p<0.01 and DIS-P Hallucinatory experiences subscale; rho = 0.11, p<0.05. The HCL-32 Risk-Taking or Irritable subscale correlated with the DIS-P total score; rho = 0.26, p<0.001, Delusional beliefs subscale; rho = 0.26, p<0.001 and Hallucinatory experiences subscale; rho = 0.20, p<0.001. In conclusion, hypomanic symptoms appear to be related to psychotic symptoms in non-clinical populations, going against previous research suggesting that this is not the case.