Validity of the mania subscale of the Diagnostic Assessment for the Severely Handicapped-II (DASH-II).

We attempted to establish the internal consistency and validity of the Diagnostic Assessment for the Severely Handicapped-II (DASH-II) to screen for the presence of mania (bipolar disorder) in severely and profoundly mentally retarded adults, Subjects included 22 individuals residing in a large developmental center in Central Louisiana. The Mania subscale of the DASH-II was internally consistent. Additionally, the DASH-II could be used to accurately classify manic and control individuals. Specific items on the subscale were examined to identify those items most associated with a diagnosis of mania.