Additional outcome measures
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In addition to the measures of the MHSMART suite, there are a number of rating scales which may also have some relevance to the mental health community.
The Adelaide University rating scale website covers much of this material, but here the emphasis is on a number of specific measures.
This list is limited to some of the more useful and popular rating scales used in the New Zealand setting, with the focus on symptom rating scales, functioning rating scales and service user self report scales.
The list will continue to be refined and updated over time.
Symptom rating scales
Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). This is a highly-regarded validated measure for assessing the severity of depression. It consists of 21 multiple-choice self-report questions, designed for people over 13 years old.
Hamilton Anxiety rating scale. This is a widely-used clinician-rated, validated measure for assessing anxiety. It consists of 14 questions and can be used for both adults and children.
Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS). This is a reliable, validated measure used to assess the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. It consists of 30 items, clinician-rated on a seven-point scale (where 1=absent and 7= extreme).
Functioning rating scales
Camberwell assessment of need (CAN)
What is the adult CAN?
The adult Camberwell Assessment of Need (CAN) is a family of questionnaires for assessing the wide range of problems that can be experienced by a mental health service user with severe mental health problems. It was developed in the 1990s (Phelan et al, 1995) and exists in a variety of formats, one of which is the CAN Short Appraisal Schedule, CANSAS.
What is the CANSAS?
The Camberwell Assessment of Need Short Appraisal Schedule (CANSAS) is a short (one-page) assessment which summarises whether a person with mental health problems has difficulties in 22 different areas of life, and whether they are currently receiving any effective help with these difficulties. CANSAS is designed to be used in routine clinical work or as an outcome measure in research studies.
Who can I use the adult CAN with?
The adult CAN was developed and tested with adults of working age (16-65) who were in contact with mental health services, and were receiving treatment in hospital, community and NGO settings.
Useful links:
- Kings College London - Institute of psychiatry
Additional Reading
- Factor structure in the Camberwell assessment of need
- Reliability of the Camberwell assessment of need
- Comparative study
- Development and evaluation of a service user rated version of CAN
Service user self report scales
The information in this section is written for service users.
Service users fill out self-report scales. We can use them to record how we think we’re going. We can also share them with mental health workers. Together we can work on what is important for our recovery.
Kessler 10 (K10)
This is a short introduction to the K10 assessment questionnaire. Service users who might want to use the K10 may find it useful.
You can fill out the K10 if you enter a mental health service. You fill it out based on how you’ve been for the last four weeks. You can fill it out monthly or less often. You fill it out until you are discharged.
Some service users keep filling it out after discharge. They use it to think about how they’ve been and what they’d like to change in the future.
The K10 is a short questionnaire. It shows how stressed you have felt lately. You answer ten questions. Your answers show if you had anxiety or depression in the previous four weeks. They don’t show why you felt that way. Your answers can help you decide about treatment. They can also help you plan what you need to do to feel better.
You can ask your key workers what they think your answers show. This helps you work together for your recovery.
The K10+ asks the same ten questions plus another four. The first two extra questions ask how much you’ve done in the last four weeks. The third extra question asks how often you saw a doctor or other health worker. The last question asks about your physical health. You decide how much physical health affects your stress levels.
You can find the questionnaire here.
In some states in Australia clinicians are mandated to ask service users if they would like to fill out the K10. There is a fun Australian DVD called ‘Breaking News with Sarah Tonin.’ It shows service user actors and others discussing how they might use the K10. It is available from:
Edi Condack
Mental Health Coordinating Council (NSW) Inc
PO Box 688
Rozelle NSW Australia 2061
Email: edi "at" mhcc.org.au
Website: www.mhcc.org.au
Client-directed Outcomes Informed (CDOI)
CDOI stands for Client Directed Outcome Informed Clinical Work. Therapists developed these tools for service users. Let’s not dismiss them immediately though. They are quick, easy tools to fill out. They let you show how things are going.
Outcomes Rating Scale (ORS)
You can fill out the ORS before a session with your mental health worker. You think about the previous week. Then you rate how you’ve done in four areas of your life. The ORS ratings can help you decide what to work on with your mental health worker. You can focus on what works in your life and what doesn’t.
Session Rating Scale (SRS)
The SRS has only four questions. Your answers show what you think about the session you’ve just had with your mental health worker etc. Finally you get to rate the raters!
You can download these tools for free from the site below. You can let your mental health worker know you are interested in using these tools.
These tools don’t come up with all the answers. You are the expert on what makes you well. Discussing how you’ve rated is one way of being in charge of what’s important in your recovery.
Institute for the Study of Therapeutic Change
P.O. Box 180147, Chicago, IL 60618-0573 USA
Telephone: 773-404-5130
Facsimile: 847-841-4874
Mobile: 773-454-8511
For general information contact: info "at" talkingcure.com
Website: http://www.talkingcure.com
Page last updated: 1 March 2010