The Hypomania Checklist HCL-32-R1 has spread worldwide as a research instrument but it is also increasingly used by practing MD’s as a screening instrument for hypomania in depressed patients. In this brazilian study, new data have been collected on correlations with the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) of Hirschfeld et al. in Belo Horizonte,Minas Gerais state. A sample of 140 patients with the putative diagnosis of “depression” were interviewed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM–IV Axis I Disorders – Clinician Version (SCID-CV; First et al.1987), as modified by Benazzi and Akiskal (2003) to increase the sensitivity to BP II disorders. After the interview patients were given the HCI–32–R1 and asked to complete the self-rating scale. The cut-off of 14 showed the best trade off between sensitivity (true bipolars)and specificity (true non-bipolars) with the total scale showing a sensitivity of 79% and a specificity of 54%. The positive and negative predictive power for this cut-off was 67% and 68%, respectively. It may be an advantage for a screening tool to have a higher sensitivity than specificity (Zimmermann et al., 2004). Furthermore, these results confirm that the HCL-32-R1 is an useful screening instrument for the manifestations of bipolar spectrum. As such, this scale might increase the detection of suspected or under-treated cases of bipolar disorders.