Diagnostic Tools
Introduction
Best practice guidelines recommend using validated assessment tools both for establishing initial diagnoses and for tracking response to treatment. When prescribing antipsychotic medications, clinicians should conduct regular evaluations for abnormal involuntary movements; the AIMS assessment tool can be found below. Additionally, clinical guidelines advise the use of standardized symptom rating scales. Publicly available questionnaires addressing common conditions can be found below. Psychotropic medications may impact growth; it is important to routinely monitor and document height, weight, and Body Mass Index (BMI).
Clinical Rating Scales
Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS)
Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS)
Designed to detect and monitor the severity of tardive dyskinesia (TD) in patients taking neuroleptic/antipsychotic medications. Aims to quantify involuntary movements in facial/oral, extremity, and trunk areas to guide clinical management.
Abnormal involuntary movement scale [AIMS] (1976). National Institute of Mental Health Psychopharmacology Research Branch. Guy W. (1976). ECDEU assessment manual for psychopharmacology. Rev. Rockville, MD: U.S. National Institute of Health, Psychopharmacology Research Branch. Pg. 534-537
Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS)
Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale Center for Epidemiological Studies
Measures treatment change and symptom severity in psychiatric patients, commonly used for schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.
Overall JE, Gorham DR. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Psychol Rep. (1962) 10:799–812. 10.2466/pr0.1962.10.3.799
Depression Scale for Children CES-DC
Depression Scale for Children CES-DC
20-item self-report depression inventory used to screen for depression.
Weissman, M. M., Orvaschel, H., & Padian, N. (1980). Children’s symptom and social functioning self-report scales. Comparison of mothers’ and children’s reports. The Journal of nervous and mental disease, 168(12), 736–740. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005053-198012000-00005
Children's Mania Rating Scale, Parent's Version (CMRS-P)
Children’s Mania Rating Scale, Parent’s Version (CMRS-P)
Screens for mania symptoms like intense irritability, decreased sleep, rapid mood swings, and risky behaviors in youth ages 5-17 years old. Completed by parents.
Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety
Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety
Designed to quantify the severity of anxiety symptoms (both psychic and somatic symptoms).
Maier, W., Buller, R., Philipp, M., & Heuser, I. (1988). The Hamilton Anxiety Scale: reliability, validity and sensitivity to change in anxiety and depressive disorders. Journal of affective disorders, 14(1), 61–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-0327(88)90072-9
Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED)
Used to assess anxiety symptoms across five scales: somatic/panic, Generalized Anxiety, Separation Anxiety, School Phobia, and Social Anxiety. Uses both patient/child report (SCARED-C) and parent report (SCARED-P).
Birmaher, B., Khetarpal, S., Brent, D., Cully, M., Balach, L., Kaufman, J., & Neer, S. M. (1997). The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED): Scale construction and psychometric characteristics. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 36(4), 545–553. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-199704000-00018
Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7)
Self-report diagnostic tool to measure the presence and severity of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms.
Spitzer, R. L., Kroenke, K., Williams, J. B. W., & Löwe, B. (2006). Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) [Database record]. APA PsycTests. https://doi.org/10.1037/t02591-000
Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression
Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression
Used to provide an indication of depression, and as a guide to evaluate treatment.
Hamilton M. A rating scale for depression. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1960;
23:56–62
Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
Self-report diagnostic tool to measure the presence and severity of depression symptoms.
Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. (2001). The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. Journal of general internal medicine, 16(9), 606–613. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x
Mood Disorders Questionnaire, Nurses’ Observation Scale For Inpatient Evaluation (NOSIE=30)
Mood Disorders Questionnaire, Nurses’ Observation Scale For Inpatient Evaluation (NOSIE=30)
Used by nursing staff to measure behavioral changes in psychiatric inpatients. It covers seven subscales—social competence, social interest, personal neatness, irritability, manifest psychosis, retardation, and depression—to assess positive and negative behaviors.
Honigfeld, G. (1966). The Nurses’ Observation Scale for Inpatient Evaluation (NOSIE-30). Behavior Arts Center.
Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS)
Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS)
One of the most frequently utilized rating scales to assess manic symptoms based on the patient’s subjective report of his or her clinical condition over the previous 48 hours.
Young, R. C., Biggs, J. T., Ziegler, V. E., & Meyer, D. A. (1978). A rating scale for mania: reliability, validity and sensitivity. The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science, 133, 429–435. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.133.5.429
Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for Children and Adolescents (CAPS-CA-5)
The Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for Children and Adolescents (CAPS-CA-5) measures the frequency and intensity of PTSD symptoms in children and adolescents based on DSM-5 criteria.
Kouki, N., Bourgou, S., Rezgui, H., Naffet, A., Hamdoun, M., & Belhadj, A. (2023). Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5,child and adolescent version: Clinical characteristics of paediatric population. European Psychiatry, 66(Suppl 1), S737–S738. https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.1549
NICHQ Vanderbilt ADHD Assessment Scale (Vanderbilt)
Diagnostic tool to diagnose Attention Deficit Hyperactivty Disorder (ADHD) in children aged 6-12. The Vanderbilt assessment is completed by parents and teachers.
Wolraich, M. L., Lambert, W., Doffing, M. A., Bickman, L., Simmons, T., & Worley, K. (2003). Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Parent Rating Scale (VADPRS) [Database record]. APA PsycTests. https://doi.org/10.1037/t67076-000
Sleep Log
Provides objective data for doctors to diagnose conditions like insomnia, sleep apnea, or circadian rhythm issues. Highlights trends in bedtime, wake time, and sleep duration, helping to identify consistent, erratic, or problematic behavior.
Psychiatric Rating Scales Index- Mental disorders information
Psychiatric Rating Scales Index- Mental disorders information
Use the above link to find an index of other commonly used psychiatric rating scales.
Columbia Impairment Scale (CIS)
Provide a global measure of impairment in children and adolescents.
Growth Charts
Growth charts from the Center for Disease Control. “The growth charts consist of a series of percentile curves that illustrate the distribution of selected body measurements in U.S. children. Growth charts are not intended to be used as a sole diagnostic instrument. Instead, growth charts are tools that contribute to forming an overall clinical impression for the child being measured.”
Developed by the National Center for Health Statistics in collaboration with the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. https://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/