Full name

Patient Health Questionnaire-9

Designed by

Kurt Kroenke, Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B. W. Williams (early 2000s)

Used for

Screening and monitoring severity of depressive symptoms in adults.

When to use

Primary care, mental health intake, repeated measurement for treatment follow-up.

How to use

9 self-report items rated 0–3 for last two weeks; sum scores (0–27) with standard cut-offs for severity.

Example

Client baseline PHQ-9 = 18 (moderately severe) → CBT initiated; after 6 weeks PHQ-9 = 8.

Full name

Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7

Designed by

Spitzer, Kroenke, Williams, Löwe (mid-2000s)

Used for

Screening and severity of generalized anxiety symptoms.

When to use

Primary care, mental health clinics, serial monitoring.

How to use

7 self-report items, 0–3 Likert; total 0–21 with cut-points (5/10/15).

Example

Pre/post CBT for GAD: GAD-7 drops from 15 to 7.

Full name

Beck Depression Inventory-II

Designed by

Aaron T. Beck & colleagues (1996 revision)

Used for

Assessing presence and severity of depressive symptoms.

When to use

Clinical assessment, research studies, treatment monitoring.

How to use

21 items scored 0–3; sum score interpreted via manual cut-offs.

Example

Pre-treatment BDI-II = 29 → indicates severe depression; monitor change every 4 weeks.

Full name

State-Trait Anxiety Inventory

Designed by

Charles Spielberger and colleagues (1970s; updated)

Used for

Measuring current (state) and general (trait) anxiety levels.

When to use

Research and clinical settings to differentiate transient vs chronic anxiety.

How to use

Two 20-item scales; 4-point Likert; convert to standard scores per manual.

Example

Pre-exam STAI-S high while STAI-T moderate → situational anxiety emphasized in intervention.

Full name

PTSD Checklist for DSM-5

Designed by

U.S. National Center for PTSD (2013+)

Used for

Screening and monitoring PTSD symptom severity aligned to DSM-5 criteria.

When to use

Post-trauma screening, treatment tracking, research.

How to use

20 items (0–4); recommended cut-offs/context-specific; evaluate cluster scores.

Example

Following a trauma-focused therapy, total PCL-5 decreases by ≥10 points → clinically meaningful change.

Full name

Yale–Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale

Designed by

Wayne K. Goodman et al. (late 1980s)

Used for

Clinician-rated severity of obsessions and compulsions.

When to use

Diagnostic evaluation, severity tracking in OCD treatment.

How to use

Semi-structured interview; 10 core items rated 0–4; total 0–40.

Example

ERP course reduces Y-BOCS from 28 to 14 (moderate → mild).

Full name

Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test

Designed by

WHO (Saunders et al., 1993)

Used for

Screening hazardous/harmful alcohol use.

When to use

Primary care, emergency, mental health intake.

How to use

10 items; scores ≥8 suggest hazardous use (contextual norms apply).

Example

Brief MI session after elevated AUDIT prompts reduction plan and follow-up.

Full name

Drug Abuse Screening Test-10

Designed by

Harvey Skinner (1982; short forms later)

Used for

Screening for problematic non-alcohol drug use.

When to use

Primary care, addiction services, research cohorts.

How to use

10 yes/no items; higher scores indicate higher risk; follow with diagnostic interview.

Example

DAST-10=5 triggers referral for comprehensive assessment.

Full name

Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index

Designed by

Buysse et al. (1989)

Used for

Assessing sleep quality and disturbances over 1 month.

When to use

Insomnia screening, baseline for CBT-I, research on sleep.

How to use

19 self-report items → 7 component scores → global score (0–21).

Example

Pre/post CBT-I: PSQI from 13 to 6.

Full name

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form

Designed by

Tellegen, Ben-Porath & colleagues (2008)

Used for

Broad assessment of personality and psychopathology with validity scales.

When to use

Clinical assessment, forensic, pre-surgical evaluations.

How to use

338 items; T-scores across validity and substantive scales; interpretation per manual.

Example

Elevated internalizing scales with valid profile supports mood/anxiety formulation.

Full name

Personality Assessment Inventory

Designed by

Leslie Morey (1991; updates)

Used for

Assessment of clinical syndromes, treatment planning, and risk.

When to use

Outpatient/inpatient, forensic, research.

How to use

344 items; validity + clinical scales with T-score interpretation.

Example

High Borderline Features + Anxiety scales guide DBT-informed plan.

Full name

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Fourth Edition

Designed by

David Wechsler; latest ed. by Pearson (2008; country adaptations vary)

Used for

Comprehensive adult cognitive ability (FSIQ + index scores).

When to use

Neuropsych eval, disability assessments, educational planning.

How to use

Individually administered subtests; standardized scoring to index/FSIQ.

Example

Low Processing Speed with average other indices → consider attentional/processing interventions.

Full name

Montreal Cognitive Assessment

Designed by

Ziad Nasreddine (2005)

Used for

Brief screening for mild cognitive impairment.

When to use

Primary care, neurology, psychiatry, research cohorts.

How to use

Approx. 10-minute bedside tool; total score out of 30 with education adjustment.

Example

MoCA 22/30 prompts full neuropsychological testing.

Full name

Conners 4th Edition

Designed by

C. Keith Conners; latest ed. (2020s)

Used for

Assessment of ADHD symptoms and related behaviors (parent/teacher/self).

When to use

Child/adolescent ADHD evaluation with multi-informant approach.

How to use

Standardized rating scales producing T-scores and validity indicators.

Example

Cross-setting elevations (home/school) support ADHD diagnosis alongside clinical interview.

Full name

Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Third Edition

Designed by

Sparrow, Cicchetti, Saulnier (2016)

Used for

Adaptive functioning across Communication, Daily Living, Socialization, Motor (younger).

When to use

Developmental disability evaluations, autism assessments, services eligibility.

How to use

Caregiver interview or rating forms; domain standard scores.

Example

Communication low, Socialization average → targeted speech-language supports.

Full name

World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0

Designed by

WHO (2010)

Used for

Measuring disability across six domains; DSM-5 recommended.

When to use

Baseline and follow-up of functional impairment across health conditions.

How to use

12- or 36-item versions; compute domain and summary scores per manual.

Example

WHODAS improves post-therapy paralleling symptom reduction.

Full name

Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5

Designed by

National Center for PTSD; Weathers et al. (2013+)

Used for

Gold-standard clinician interview to diagnose PTSD and rate symptom severity and impairment.

When to use

Diagnostic evaluations, clinical trials, and outcome monitoring where structured diagnosis is required.

How to use

Semi-structured interview aligning to DSM-5 criteria; frequency/intensity ratings over a defined index trauma and time frame; scoring per manual.

Example

Post-trauma eval: CAPS-5 meets Criteria B–E with clinically significant distress → confirms PTSD diagnosis pre-treatment.

Full name

Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory – Revised

Designed by

Foa et al. (2002)

Used for

Assessing OCD symptom dimensions (washing, checking, ordering, obsessing, hoarding, neutralizing) and overall severity.

When to use

Screening and monitoring during ERP/CBT; research on OCD subtypes.

How to use

18 items rated 0–4 over the past month; subscale and total scores; cut-points vary by setting.

Example

High Checking and Ordering subscales guide exposure hierarchy toward lock and symmetry rituals.

Full name

Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale

Designed by

Kay, Fiszbein, & Opler (1987)

Used for

Clinician-rated assessment of positive, negative, and general psychopathology symptoms in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.

When to use

Baseline severity and treatment response tracking in psychosis; antipsychotic trials.

How to use

Semi-structured interview; 30 items scored 1–7; derive subscale and total scores; training improves reliability.

Example

Marked reduction in Positive subscale after 8 weeks corresponds to remission criteria in study protocol.

Full name

Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale

Designed by

Gratz & Roemer (2004)

Used for

Self-report of emotion regulation problems across awareness, clarity, acceptance, impulse, goals, and strategies.

When to use

Assessment and outcomes in DBT/ACT/CFT; research on emotion dysregulation.

How to use

36 items (or brief forms); Likert ratings; higher scores indicate greater difficulties; subscale profiles inform treatment targets.

Example

Elevated Impulse and Strategies subscales → prioritize distress tolerance and skills generalization modules.

Full name

36-Item Short Form Health Survey

Designed by

Ware & Sherbourne; RAND/QualityMetric (1990s+)

Used for

Generic health-related quality of life across 8 domains; produces Physical and Mental Component Summary scores.

When to use

Clinical research, population studies, health services evaluation.

How to use

Self-report items with standardized scoring and norm-based T-scores; license/version may vary.

Example

Improved MCS with stable PCS after psychotherapy suggests mental health gains independent of physical status.

Full name

Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition

Designed by

Lord, Rutter, DiLavore, Risi, Gotham, Bishop (2000s; 2nd ed.)

Used for

Standardized, semi-structured observation for Autism Spectrum Disorder across language/age modules.

When to use

Comprehensive ASD evaluations (with parent history such as ADI-R), research protocols.

How to use

Choose module by language level; administer activities; score algorithm for Social Affect and Restricted/Repetitive Behaviors; compare to cutoffs.

Example

Module 3 algorithm exceeds ASD cutoff → combined with ADI-R supports ASD diagnosis.