OBJECTIVES: To provide information on patient-reported quality of life for patients with bipolar disorder in five European countries. METHODS: Physicians in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK who managed at least ten patients with bipolar disorder within the preceding six months were invited to complete a questionnaire concerning their patients' clinical status and therapy. Patients of these physicians were also invited to complete a questionnaire that included the Euroqol EQ-5D, a 5-item questionnaire assessing quality of life in five key areas: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. Patient responses to the 5 EQ-5D items were used to generate EQ-5D utility scores. The patients were also asked to rate their current health on a Visual Analog Scale (EQ-5D VAS). These data were collected in 2005. RESULTS: Data on self-reported quality of life were collected from 1335 patients from France (n=304), Germany (n=247), Italy (n=156), Spain (n=492), and the UK(n=136). Most were outpatients (85%) and most were aged 25–64 (87%); 57% were women. The most commonly reported reason for the physician visit was maintenance (44%), followed by depressed (23%), manic (13%), hypomanic (9%), and mixed (8%) health states. Mean (± standard deviation) EQ-5D utility scores (76.0±26.7) were greater than EQ-5D VAS scores (63.2±20.4). This relationship held across all countries. EQ-5D utility and VAS scores were significantly higher for Germany (P<0.01) and significantly lower for Spain (P<0.05). Patients reporting depressed health state as the reason for their visit had the lowest reported EQ-5D utility (64.2±33.5) and EQ-5D VAS (52.7±21.3) scores. CONCLUSIONS: In this large, multinational, cross-sectional survey of physicians and their patients with bipolar disorder, patient-reported quality of life varied by country and current phase of illness.