Comprehensive Guide to Free Adult Behavior Assessments for Therapeutic Use with Adults

📖 Introduction & Overview

Standardized adult behavioral health assessments can sharpen clinical decision-making, support measurement-based care, and improve communication across disciplines. This guide compiles widely used adult assessment tools that are free, publicly viewable, or commonly accessible for clinical review. Where access or licensing is restricted, that limitation is stated explicitly rather than assumed away.

The guide is organized by clinical domain so clinicians can move from broad intake screening to targeted follow-up measures. It is intended as a practical reference for therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, primary care clinicians, integrated behavioral health teams, and trainees working with adult populations.

No screening tool is diagnostic by itself. Scores should always be interpreted in light of clinical interview, risk assessment, collateral information, cultural context, literacy, medical status, and functional impairment.

🗺️ How to Use This Guide

Start with the presenting problem and choose either a broad screen or a domain-specific measure.
Use age/population, administration time, and access notes to decide what is realistic for your setting.
Where a measure is flagged as restricted, trained-use only, or commercially distributed, verify current permissions before local implementation.
Pair symptom measures with functional measures when treatment planning or outcome monitoring matters.

🔵 PART 1: Broad-Spectrum / General Functioning

📋 1. Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale-24 (BASIS-24) Adults

Purpose	Broad-spectrum assessment of psychiatric symptoms and functional difficulty in outpatient, partial hospital, and behavioral health settings.
Format	Adult self-report.
Age / population	Adults; especially useful in routine behavioral health care and outcomes monitoring.
Administration time	About 5–7 minutes.
Number of items	24 items across 6 domains: depression/functioning, relationships, self-harm, emotional lability, psychosis, and substance abuse.
Scoring	Items are rated on a 0–4 scale and summarized as weighted average domain scores plus an overall score; higher scores reflect greater symptom burden / impairment.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	No universally adopted single diagnostic cutoff; best used for baseline profiling and longitudinal change.
Access / free notes	Overview: https://www.ebasis.org/basis24 • Public form example: SRAlab PDF.

✅ Key Features: Captures both symptom severity and functioning in one brief measure; practical for outcome measurement when a single broad adult mental health scale is needed.

⚠️ Access / Practice Note: The questionnaire is easy to find online, but administrators should verify current branding, scoring, and reuse permissions before embedding it in commercial or large-scale workflows.

🏥 Clinical Use: Intake screening, behavioral health program evaluation, repeated measurement during therapy or intensive outpatient care.

📄 Citation / source: Eisen, S. V., Normand, S.-L. T., Belanger, A. J., et al. BASIS-24 development work; access information from eBASIS and SRAlab.

📋 2. Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) Adults

Purpose	Identifies hazardous drinking, harmful drinking, and possible alcohol dependence.
Format	Self-report or interviewer-administered.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	2–3 minutes.
Number of items	10 items.
Scoring	Each item scored 0–4; total score 0–40.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Score ≥8 suggests hazardous or harmful alcohol use; higher thresholds may improve specificity in some settings. WHO risk zones can guide brief intervention intensity.
Access / free notes	WHO manual: WHO AUDIT manual • Public toolkit PDF: NIDA PDF.

✅ Key Features: One of the most established alcohol screeners globally; works well in medical and mental health settings and has strong SBIRT utility.

🏥 Clinical Use: Alcohol-risk screening, treatment triage, motivational interviewing entry point, and monitoring change across care episodes.

📄 Citation / source: Saunders, J. B., Aasland, O. G., Babor, T. F., de la Fuente, J. R., & Grant, M. (1993). Development of the AUDIT.

📋 3. Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10) Adults

Purpose	Screens for consequences and problems related to non-alcohol drug use over the past 12 months.
Format	Self-report or clinician-administered.
Age / population	Adults and older adolescents; commonly used with adults.
Administration time	2–5 minutes.
Number of items	10 yes/no items.
Scoring	One point for each “Yes” except item 3; total 0–10.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	1–2 low level problems, 3–5 moderate, 6–8 substantial, 9–10 severe; any positive score usually warrants follow-up.
Access / free notes	Public PDF examples: ASAM PDF • NIDA CDE PDF.

✅ Key Features: Very brief and practical; useful when you want a severity signal without administering a longer comprehensive substance interview.

🏥 Clinical Use: Drug-use screening, SBIRT workflows, integrated mental health intake, and risk stratification for further assessment.

📄 Citation / source: Skinner, H. A. (1982). The Drug Abuse Screening Test.

🟠 PART 2: Depression

📋 4. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) Ages 18+

Purpose	Screens for major depressive symptoms and tracks depression severity over time.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults 18+.
Administration time	2–5 minutes.
Number of items	9 items.
Scoring	Items scored 0–3; total score 0–27.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	5 mild, 10 moderate, 15 moderately severe, 20 severe. Any endorsement on item 9 requires suicide-risk follow-up.
Access / free notes	Official PHQ-9 PDF • APA PDF.

✅ Key Features: Extremely practical, familiar to most clinicians, and supported by strong evidence in medical and behavioral health settings.

🏥 Clinical Use: Depression screening, treatment response monitoring, collaborative care measurement-based care, and primary care integration.

📄 Citation / source: Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W. (2001). The PHQ-9.

📋 5. Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) Adults

Purpose	Rapid screen for depressed mood and anhedonia.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	Under 1 minute.
Number of items	2 items.
Scoring	Items scored 0–3; total 0–6.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	A score of ≥3 is the standard positive screen; some settings use ≥2 to maximize sensitivity.
Access / free notes	PHQ-2 PDF • AHRQ copy.

✅ Key Features: Ideal for high-throughput screening environments and triage workflows where a two-question gateway is preferred.

🏥 Clinical Use: Annual screening, primary care intake, stepped-care algorithms, and digital triage before longer assessment.

📄 Citation / source: Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W. (2003). The Patient Health Questionnaire-2.

📋 6. Beck Depression Inventory-Fast Screen (BDI-FS) Adults

Purpose	Screens core cognitive-affective depressive symptoms while minimizing overlap with medical illness symptoms.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults; often used in medical outpatient or medically complex populations.
Administration time	3–5 minutes.
Number of items	7 items.
Scoring	Items scored 0–3; total score 0–21.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Cutoffs vary by setting; scores around ≥4 are often used to flag clinically relevant depressive symptom burden.
Access / free notes	Public threshold reference: measure list / cutoff reference • background article: PMC example.

✅ Key Features: More suitable than longer depression scales when fatigue, appetite, and other physical symptoms may inflate scores in medically ill adults.

⚠️ Access / Practice Note: Unlike the PHQ family, BDI-FS is not reliably open-access for unrestricted clinical redistribution; confirm current rights before embedding it in practice materials.

🏥 Clinical Use: Consult-liaison work, oncology, nephrology, chronic disease settings, and therapy intake where somatic inflation is a concern.

📄 Citation / source: Beck, A. T., Steer, R. A., Ball, R., & Ranieri, W. (1996/1997) BDI-FS work and subsequent validation studies.

📋 7. Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) Adults

Purpose	Measures depressive symptom frequency over the past week.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults; widely used in community, research, and outpatient samples.
Administration time	5 minutes.
Number of items	20 items.
Scoring	Items scored 0–3; total score 0–60.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Scores ≥16 traditionally indicate clinically significant depressive symptoms; some higher cutoffs are used in specialty populations.
Access / free notes	Public copies are common, e.g. CES-D PDF.

✅ Key Features: Strong research legacy, sensitive to symptom burden in community and epidemiologic work, and easy to administer repeatedly.

🏥 Clinical Use: Community mental health, program evaluation, primary care, and research-oriented symptom monitoring.

📄 Citation / source: Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D Scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population.

📋 8. Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) Adults

Purpose	Clinician-rated severity measure for depressive episodes.
Format	Clinician-rated interview.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	10–15 minutes.
Number of items	10 items.
Scoring	Each item scored 0–6; total 0–60.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Common severity bands: 0–6 normal, 7–19 mild, 20–34 moderate, 35+ severe.
Access / free notes	APA MADRS PDF • public form copy.

✅ Key Features: Often preferred in psychiatry and trials because it is relatively sensitive to treatment-related change and focuses on core depressive symptoms.

🏥 Clinical Use: Psychiatric evaluation, medication management, specialty mood-disorder follow-up, and measurement-based care.

📄 Citation / source: Montgomery, S. A., & Åsberg, M. (1979). A new depression scale designed to be sensitive to change.

📋 9. Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, Self-Report (QIDS-SR16) Adults

Purpose	Measures depressive symptom severity across the nine DSM symptom domains.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	5–7 minutes.
Number of items	16 items, scored into 9 symptom domains.
Scoring	Algorithm yields total score 0–27 using highest-scoring sleep and appetite/weight items as specified.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	0–5 none, 6–10 mild, 11–15 moderate, 16–20 severe, 21–27 very severe.
Access / free notes	QIDS-SR16 PDF • background: overview.

✅ Key Features: Covers all DSM depressive symptom clusters in a compact format and works well in longitudinal symptom measurement.

🏥 Clinical Use: Medication follow-up, psychotherapy monitoring, collaborative care dashboards, and specialty mood clinics.

📄 Citation / source: Rush, A. J., Trivedi, M. H., Ibrahim, H. M., et al. (2003). The 16-item QIDS.

📋 10. Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) Perinatal adults

Purpose	Screens for depressive symptoms in pregnancy and the postpartum period.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Perinatal adults during pregnancy and postpartum.
Administration time	3–5 minutes.
Number of items	10 items.
Scoring	Items scored 0–3; total 0–30.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Common cut points are ≥10 for possible depression and ≥13 for probable major depression; item 10 needs immediate safety follow-up if positive.
Access / free notes	AAP EPDS PDF • Black Dog Institute copy.

✅ Key Features: Brief, extensively translated, and specifically designed for perinatal screening rather than general adult depression screening.

🏥 Clinical Use: OB/GYN, primary care, pediatrics, family practice, perinatal psychiatry, and postpartum follow-up.

📄 Citation / source: Cox, J. L., Holden, J. M., & Sagovsky, R. (1987). Detection of postnatal depression: Development of the EPDS.

🟢 PART 3: Anxiety

📋 11. Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) Adults

Purpose	Screens for generalized anxiety symptoms and provides a brief severity index.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	2–3 minutes.
Number of items	7 items.
Scoring	Items scored 0–3; total 0–21.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	5 mild, 10 moderate, 15 severe anxiety; ≥10 is commonly used as a clinical screening threshold.
Access / free notes	GAD-7 PDF • public toolkit copies are also common.

✅ Key Features: Simple, fast, and well-validated across primary care and behavioral health settings; useful beyond GAD as a general anxiety severity gauge.

🏥 Clinical Use: Intake screening, repeated outcome measurement, primary care behavioral health, and therapy progress review.

📄 Citation / source: Spitzer, R. L., Kroenke, K., Williams, J. B. W., & Löwe, B. (2006). The GAD-7.

📋 12. Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 (GAD-2) Adults

Purpose	Ultra-brief screen for core anxiety symptoms.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	Under 1 minute.
Number of items	2 items.
Scoring	Items scored 0–3; total 0–6.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	A score of ≥3 is commonly used to indicate a positive screen requiring fuller anxiety assessment.
Access / free notes	Often embedded with PHQ/GAD toolkits; for example combined PHQ/GAD packet.

✅ Key Features: Useful when a quick gateway screen is needed before proceeding to a fuller anxiety measure such as the GAD-7, OASIS, or disorder-specific tools.

🏥 Clinical Use: Primary care screening, digital triage, brief check-in visits, and stepped assessment models.

📄 Citation / source: Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., Williams, J. B. W., Monahan, P. O., & Löwe, B. (2007). Anxiety disorders in primary care.

📋 13. Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) Adults

Purpose	Measures the excessiveness, generality, and uncontrollability of worry.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	5 minutes.
Number of items	16 items.
Scoring	Items rated 1–5; total score 16–80 after reverse-scoring specified items.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	No universal diagnostic cutoff; scores in the upper 40s to 50s are often interpreted as elevated pathological worry.
Access / free notes	PSWQ PDF • public copies and scoring instructions are broadly available.

✅ Key Features: More specific to chronic worry than the GAD-7 and helpful when cognitive worry is the dominant anxiety presentation.

🏥 Clinical Use: GAD-focused assessment, CBT case formulation, and monitoring worry-specific interventions.

📄 Citation / source: Meyer, T. J., Miller, M. L., Metzger, R. L., & Borkovec, T. D. (1990). Development and validation of the PSWQ.

📋 14. Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale (OASIS) Adults

Purpose	Assesses frequency, intensity, avoidance, and functional impairment related to anxiety.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	1–3 minutes.
Number of items	5 items.
Scoring	Items scored 0–4; total 0–20.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	A score of ≥8 is commonly used to indicate clinically significant anxiety.
Access / free notes	OASIS PDF • validation summary: PMC article.

✅ Key Features: Combines severity and functional burden in a very short format, making it highly practical for repeated use.

🏥 Clinical Use: Measurement-based care, brief therapy, digital mental health, and routine anxiety outcome monitoring.

📄 Citation / source: Norman, S. B., Cissell, S. H., Means-Christensen, A. J., & Stein, M. B. (2006/2007). OASIS validation studies.

📋 15. Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) Adults

Purpose	Screens for social anxiety disorder and quantifies fear, avoidance, and physiologic discomfort.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	5 minutes.
Number of items	17 items.
Scoring	Items scored 0–4; total 0–68.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	A score around ≥19 is commonly used to flag probable social anxiety disorder.
Access / free notes	SPIN PDF.

✅ Key Features: Short, practical, and disorder-focused; often easier to deploy than a longer social-anxiety scale.

🏥 Clinical Use: Social-anxiety screening, treatment planning, and monitoring response to exposure-based therapy.

📄 Citation / source: Connor, K. M., Davidson, J. R. T., Churchill, L. E., et al. (2000). Psychometric properties of the SPIN.

📋 16. Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) Adults

Purpose	Assesses social anxiety severity across a wide range of social interaction and performance situations.
Format	Originally clinician-rated; commonly used in self-report form as well.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	10–15 minutes.
Number of items	24 situations rated for fear and avoidance.
Scoring	Fear and avoidance are each scored 0–3 for every situation; total score range 0–144.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Scores around 30+ suggest clinically relevant social anxiety; 60+ often reflects marked severity. Thresholds vary by version.
Access / free notes	National Social Anxiety Center version • Div. 12 PDF.

✅ Key Features: Richer than brief screeners because it separates fear from avoidance and samples many common social situations.

🏥 Clinical Use: Social anxiety diagnostic workup, baseline severity estimation, and exposure hierarchy planning.

📄 Citation / source: Liebowitz, M. R. (1987). Social phobia.

🟣 PART 4: Trauma & PTSD

📋 17. PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) Adults

Purpose	Assesses the 20 DSM-5 PTSD symptoms over the past month in relation to an index trauma.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	5–10 minutes.
Number of items	20 items.
Scoring	Items scored 0–4; total score 0–80. Can be interpreted by total score and DSM-5 symptom-cluster scoring.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	A total score of 31–33 is a commonly recommended provisional cutoff in many settings; local calibration is preferred.
Access / free notes	Official VA PCL-5 PDF • scoring guidance: VA scoring guide.

✅ Key Features: Free, widely accepted, and highly practical for both screening and repeated measurement during evidence-based PTSD treatment.

🏥 Clinical Use: PTSD screening, psychotherapy outcome tracking, intake triage, and trauma-focused program evaluation.

📄 Citation / source: Weathers, F. W., Litz, B. T., et al. PCL-5 materials from the National Center for PTSD.

📋 18. PTSD Checklist – Civilian Version (PCL-C) Adults

Purpose	Legacy self-report measure of DSM-IV PTSD symptoms for civilians.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	5–10 minutes.
Number of items	17 items.
Scoring	Items scored 1–5; total score 17–85.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Cutoffs vary by population; roughly 30–35 may be used in general screening, while 44–50 has been used in specialty or higher-specificity contexts.
Access / free notes	Official VA PCL-C PDF • psychometric information: VA psychometric handout.

✅ Key Features: Still useful when comparing with older literature, legacy outcome systems, or DSM-IV-era research cohorts.

🏥 Clinical Use: Historical comparison, chart review continuity, and programs that have not fully transitioned legacy data systems.

📄 Citation / source: Weathers, F. W., Huska, J. A., & Keane, T. M. (1991/1993). PCL legacy materials.

📋 19. Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) Adults

Purpose	Structured diagnostic interview for PTSD diagnosis and symptom-severity assessment aligned with DSM-5.
Format	Clinician-administered structured interview.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	45–60 minutes, often longer in complex cases.
Number of items	30 interview items including 20 core symptom ratings plus onset, duration, distress/impairment, and validity items.
Scoring	Core symptoms are rated 0–4 and summed; diagnosis is determined using DSM-5 symptom criteria and associated impairment rules.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Not generally interpreted with a single universal cutoff; best used for formal diagnostic determination by trained raters.
Access / free notes	VA CAPS-5 overview • training: CAPS-5 training curriculum.

✅ Key Features: Considered the reference-standard PTSD interview and especially valuable when diagnosis must be established carefully.

⚠️ Access / Practice Note: The VA states that the CAPS-5 should be administered only by qualified interviewers with formal training in structured clinical interviewing and knowledge of PTSD.

🏥 Clinical Use: Diagnostic clarification, complex trauma assessment, research enrollment, medico-legal work, and specialty trauma programs.

📄 Citation / source: Weathers, F. W., Bovin, M. J., Lee, D. J., et al. (2018). The CAPS-5.

📋 20. International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) Adults

Purpose	Measures ICD-11 PTSD and complex PTSD (CPTSD) symptoms, including disturbances in self-organization.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	5–10 minutes.
Number of items	18 items in the common adult version.
Scoring	Items scored 0–4; interpreted primarily through ICD-11 diagnostic algorithms rather than a single total-score cutoff.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Diagnostic thresholds depend on symptom-cluster endorsement and associated impairment items rather than one global cutoff.
Access / free notes	Traumatic Stress Wales ITQ • overview: VA complex PTSD page.

✅ Key Features: Particularly helpful when long-term trauma, affect dysregulation, shame, or relational disturbance suggest CPTSD rather than PTSD alone.

🏥 Clinical Use: Complex trauma evaluation, ICD-11-informed assessment, and trauma treatment planning.

📄 Citation / source: Cloitre, M., Roberts, N. P., Bisson, J. I., & Brewin, C. R. ITQ / ICD-11 CPTSD assessment literature.

📋 21. Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5) Adults

Purpose	Screens exposure to potentially traumatic events across the lifespan.
Format	Self-report or interview format.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	3–5 minutes.
Number of items	17 event categories plus an optional “other stressful event” item.
Scoring	Records exposure type (happened to me, witnessed, learned about it, part of job, unsure, does not apply); not intended as a summed severity score.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	No total cutoff. Use to establish Criterion A exposure and to identify an index trauma for PCL-5 or CAPS-5.
Access / free notes	Official VA LEC-5 PDF • overview: VA overview.

✅ Key Features: Extremely practical as a trauma-exposure inventory and often the best first step before choosing a focal trauma for PTSD symptom assessment.

🏥 Clinical Use: Trauma history screening, index-event selection, and intake assessment in trauma-focused treatment.

📄 Citation / source: Gray, M. J., Litz, B. T., Hsu, J. L., & Lombardo, T. W. (2004); DSM-5 updated VA versions.

📋 22. PHQ Trauma Module Adults

Purpose	Brief trauma-related symptom or exposure add-on used in some PHQ/PRIME-MD style screening packets.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults in integrated medical or primary care workflows.
Administration time	Usually 1–3 minutes depending on version.
Number of items	Varies by version / packet.
Scoring	Version-specific; there is no single universally standardized scoring rule analogous to the PHQ-9.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Use only as a brief flag for fuller trauma assessment; a positive result should lead to a validated PTSD instrument such as the PCL-5 or CAPS-5.
Access / free notes	Related PHQ / PRIME-MD guide: Quick Guide to PRIME-MD PHQ.

✅ Key Features: Useful mainly as a pragmatic adjunct in busy primary care workflows, not as a definitive trauma measure.

⚠️ Access / Practice Note: Because “PHQ Trauma Module” is not a single standardized public instrument in the way the PHQ-9 is, clinicians should confirm the exact version, scoring, and intended use before adopting it.

🏥 Clinical Use: Embedded screening batteries, stepped assessment, and quick flagging before a trauma-specific instrument is administered.

📄 Citation / source: Spitzer, R. L., Kroenke, K., & Williams, J. B. W. PRIME-MD / PHQ family materials.

🟣 PART 5: Bipolar / Mood Spectrum

📋 23. Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) Adults

Purpose	Screens for lifetime history of manic or hypomanic symptoms suggestive of bipolar spectrum disorder.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	5 minutes.
Number of items	13 symptom items plus questions about symptom clustering and impairment.
Scoring	Classic positive algorithm: 7+ symptom endorsements, several symptoms occurring during the same period, and at least moderate impairment.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	The classic algorithm is common; some settings use symptom-count approaches to favor sensitivity.
Access / free notes	Public MDQ PDF.

✅ Key Features: Short, familiar, and helpful for preventing false unipolar-depression assumptions when bipolarity is a realistic differential.

🏥 Clinical Use: Depression intake, antidepressant prescribing workups, psychiatry referrals, and perinatal mood evaluations.

📄 Citation / source: Hirschfeld, R. M. A., Williams, J. B. W., Spitzer, R. L., et al. (2000). Development and validation of the MDQ.

📋 24. Hypomania Checklist-32 (HCL-32) Adults

Purpose	Assesses lifetime hypomanic symptoms and activation patterns.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	5–10 minutes.
Number of items	32 yes/no symptom items plus supplementary mood/impact questions.
Scoring	Count endorsed symptom items; supplemental items help contextualize episodes and impairment.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	A score around ≥14 is a commonly used screening threshold, though optimal cutoffs vary by sample.
Access / free notes	HCL-32 PDF • manual copy: manual.

✅ Key Features: Often more sensitive than the MDQ for hypomania-heavy bipolar-spectrum cases, particularly in outpatient depression samples.

🏥 Clinical Use: Mood-disorder differentials, antidepressant caution, and longitudinal mood-spectrum case formulation.

📄 Citation / source: Angst, J., Adolfsson, R., Benazzi, F., et al. (2005). The HCL-32.

📋 25. Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) Adults

Purpose	Rates the severity of manic symptoms over the recent period.
Format	Clinician-rated interview / observation.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	15–20 minutes.
Number of items	11 items.
Scoring	Items are rated on 0–4 or weighted 0–8 scales; total score range 0–60.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	No single universal cutoff; totals around 20+ typically reflect clinically meaningful mania, and lower scores can be used to follow remission.
Access / free notes	YMRS PDF • background: UF overview.

✅ Key Features: A standard clinician scale for mania with strong utility in psychiatry and medication management.

🏥 Clinical Use: Acute mania assessment, outpatient follow-up, mood-stabilizer response monitoring, and inpatient severity tracking.

📄 Citation / source: Young, R. C., Biggs, J. T., Ziegler, V. E., & Meyer, D. A. (1978). A rating scale for mania.

📋 26. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS / HAM-D) Adults

Purpose	Clinician-rated measure of depressive symptom severity.
Format	Clinician-administered interview.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	15–20 minutes.
Number of items	Commonly 17 items, with longer 21-item versions also used.
Scoring	Version-specific scoring; the 17-item form is the most common severity index.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	For HAM-D17, 0–7 normal/remitted, 8–13 mild, 14–18 moderate, 19–22 severe, ≥23 very severe.
Access / free notes	HAM-D PDF • AHRQ copy.

✅ Key Features: Deeply established in psychiatry and trials, though more time-intensive than PHQ-9 or QIDS-SR.

🏥 Clinical Use: Psychiatric evaluation, medication-management follow-up, and research-style depression severity tracking.

📄 Citation / source: Hamilton, M. (1960). A rating scale for depression.

🔴 PART 6: Psychosis / Schizophrenia

📋 27. Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) Adults

Purpose	Clinician-rated assessment of psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, depression, hallucinations, unusual thought content, and hostility.
Format	Clinician-rated interview.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	15–30 minutes.
Number of items	18 items in the classic version; 24 items in common expanded versions.
Scoring	Typically rated 1–7 (or version-specific anchor variants) and summed for total severity / factor scores.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	No universal diagnostic cutoff; more useful for severity tracking and symptom profiling over time.
Access / free notes	BPRS manual • BPRS form.

✅ Key Features: Broad enough to capture multiple symptom domains yet brief enough for routine clinician use.

🏥 Clinical Use: Psychosis assessment, acute psychiatry, inpatient monitoring, and severity tracking across treatment episodes.

📄 Citation / source: Overall, J. E., & Gorham, D. R. (1962). The BPRS.

📋 28. Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) Adults

Purpose	Comprehensive clinician-rated assessment of positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and general psychopathology in schizophrenia and related psychoses.
Format	Clinician-rated structured interview.
Age / population	Adults with schizophrenia-spectrum or other psychotic disorders.
Administration time	30–45 minutes or longer.
Number of items	30 items.
Scoring	Each item rated 1–7; total score 30–210, with subscale totals for Positive, Negative, and General Psychopathology.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	No single diagnostic cutoff; best interpreted as a severity profile and for treatment-response monitoring.
Access / free notes	Scale overview: panss.org • publisher page: Pearson PANSS.

✅ Key Features: A specialty psychosis measure with strong granularity, especially for schizophrenia trials and complex medication management.

⚠️ Access / Practice Note: Do not assume unrestricted free reuse simply because sample forms exist online; the PANSS has publisher-linked commercial distribution channels.

🏥 Clinical Use: Schizophrenia assessment, specialty psychosis services, research, and antipsychotic response monitoring.

📄 Citation / source: Kay, S. R., Fiszbein, A., & Opler, L. A. (1987). The PANSS for schizophrenia.

📋 29. Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI) Adults

Purpose	Provides concise global ratings of illness severity and improvement over time.
Format	Clinician-rated.
Age / population	Adults across diagnoses.
Administration time	1–2 minutes.
Number of items	Commonly CGI-S and CGI-I single-item ratings, sometimes with efficacy / side-effect variants.
Scoring	CGI-S and CGI-I use 1–7 anchored severity / improvement scales.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	No diagnostic cutoff; intended as a brief global anchor alongside disorder-specific measures.
Access / free notes	CGI PDF • overview: clinical review.

✅ Key Features: One of the fastest ways to capture clinician-rated global change and severity in routine care.

🏥 Clinical Use: Medication visits, charting global progress, and pairing with more detailed syndrome-specific measures.

📄 Citation / source: Guy, W. (1976). ECDEU Assessment Manual for Psychopharmacology.

📋 30. Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS) Adults

Purpose	Assesses multiple dimensions of auditory hallucinations and delusions rather than treating psychosis as a single global score.
Format	Clinician-rated interview.
Age / population	Adults with psychotic symptoms.
Administration time	20–30 minutes.
Number of items	17 items in the common version (11 hallucination items, 6 delusion items).
Scoring	Items are scored 0–4 and interpreted by symptom dimension rather than a single diagnostic threshold.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	No universal global cutoff; the value lies in symptom-detail assessment and change within domains.
Access / free notes	PSYRATS form • manual.

✅ Key Features: Excellent when clinicians need nuance about frequency, distress, controllability, conviction, or preoccupation rather than only total psychosis severity.

🏥 Clinical Use: CBT for psychosis, symptom formulation, specialty psychosis services, and detailed treatment planning.

📄 Citation / source: Haddock, G., McCarron, J., Tarrier, N., & Faragher, E. B. (1999). The PSYRATS.

🟢 PART 7: ADHD (Adult)

📋 31. Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) Adults

Purpose	Screens current adult ADHD symptoms based on DSM symptom content.
Format	Self-report; 6-item screener and 18-item symptom checklist versions exist.
Age / population	Adults 18+.
Administration time	3–5 minutes.
Number of items	18 items total; the brief screener uses 6 predictive items.
Scoring	Part A screener is interpreted by the number/pattern of endorsed responses; the full checklist reviews all DSM symptom areas.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	On the 6-item screener, 4 or more responses in the shaded clinical range is a common positive screen rule.
Access / free notes	Harvard / WHO ASRS page • PDF copy.

✅ Key Features: Strong practical standard for adult ADHD screening and very easy to integrate into general mental health workflows.

🏥 Clinical Use: Adult ADHD screening, intake triage, stimulant/nonstimulant workups, and serial symptom review.

📄 Citation / source: Kessler, R. C., Adler, L., Ames, M., et al. (2005). The WHO ASRS.

📋 32. Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS) Adults

Purpose	Provides a detailed profile of adult ADHD symptoms and associated problems across self-report and observer versions.
Format	Self-report and observer-report, long and short forms.
Age / population	Adults 18+.
Administration time	10–20 minutes depending on form.
Number of items	Common forms include 26-item short forms and 66-item long forms.
Scoring	Raw scores convert to age/sex-normed T scores using the manual.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Interpretation generally relies on elevated T scores rather than a single raw-score cutoff.
Access / free notes	Sample / public-facing form example: MHS form • product overview: CAARS brochure.

✅ Key Features: Useful when a simple screener is not enough and a more structured ADHD symptom profile is needed.

⚠️ Access / Practice Note: Because CAARS is typically distributed through commercial channels, do not assume unrestricted free copying of the full instrument.

🏥 Clinical Use: Comprehensive adult ADHD evaluations, collateral-informed assessment, and specialty ADHD clinics.

📄 Citation / source: Conners, C. K., Erhardt, D., & Sparrow, E. (1999/2003). CAARS technical manual.

📋 33. Wender Utah Rating Scale – 25 item (WURS-25) Adults

Purpose	Assesses retrospective recall of childhood behaviors associated with ADHD.
Format	Self-report retrospective rating.
Age / population	Adults recalling childhood functioning.
Administration time	5–7 minutes.
Number of items	25-item short form most commonly used in clinical screening.
Scoring	Items rated 0–4; total score 0–100.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	A cutoff around 46 is commonly cited for specificity; some clinicians also consider lower thresholds such as 36 when prioritizing sensitivity.
Access / free notes	WURS PDF • overview.

✅ Key Features: Adds useful developmental-history information when current adult symptoms alone do not fully clarify ADHD onset.

🏥 Clinical Use: Adult ADHD diagnostic workups, especially when childhood records are limited or unavailable.

📄 Citation / source: Ward, M. F., Wender, P. H., & Reimherr, F. W. (1993). The WURS.

📋 34. Diagnostic Interview for ADHD in Adults (DIVA 2.0) Adults

Purpose	Semi-structured interview assessing both childhood and adult ADHD symptoms with impairment examples.
Format	Clinician interview.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	60–90 minutes.
Number of items	Structured DSM symptom interview rather than a simple summed questionnaire.
Scoring	Diagnosis is determined by DSM symptom-count, onset, pervasiveness, and impairment criteria across developmental periods.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	No single cutoff score; use the interview to determine whether DSM criteria are met.
Access / free notes	DIVA Foundation • public DIVA 2.0 PDF example: DIVA 2.0 English PDF.

✅ Key Features: One of the most practical structured adult ADHD interviews because it walks through developmentally anchored examples.

🏥 Clinical Use: Comprehensive ADHD diagnostic assessment, especially when self-report screeners are positive or equivocal.

📄 Citation / source: Kooij, J. J. S., Francken, M. H., et al. DIVA interview materials and validation studies.

⚫ PART 8: Personality Disorders

📋 35. Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4 (PDQ-4 / PDQ-4+) Adults

Purpose	Screens for DSM personality disorder features across multiple personality-disorder domains.
Format	Self-report; often paired with a clinical significance interview.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	10–15 minutes.
Number of items	Common PDQ-4+ forms use about 99 true/false items.
Scoring	Items are scored by disorder scales; elevated endorsements flag areas for follow-up rather than providing a stand-alone diagnosis.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	No single global cutoff should substitute for interview confirmation because false positives are common.
Access / free notes	Official site: pdq4.com • public document example: PDQ document copy.

✅ Key Features: Broad coverage makes it useful for hypothesis generation, but it should always be followed by careful clinical interviewing.

⚠️ Access / Practice Note: Self-report personality screeners can over-identify pathology; interpret in the context of developmental history, trait stability, cultural context, and interview data.

🏥 Clinical Use: Personality screening, case formulation, and specialty referral decisions.

📄 Citation / source: Hyler, S. E. PDQ-4 / PDQ-4+ materials and validation work.

📋 36. McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD) Adults

Purpose	Brief screen for features associated with borderline personality disorder.
Format	Self-report yes/no screener.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	2–5 minutes.
Number of items	10 items.
Scoring	One point per endorsed item; total 0–10.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	A score of ≥7 is the traditional threshold; some settings use lower cutoffs (e.g., 5–6) for sensitivity.
Access / free notes	MSI-BPD PDF.

✅ Key Features: Very brief and clinically useful when BPD is a reasonable differential but a full interview is not yet warranted.

🏥 Clinical Use: Borderline-feature screening, triage to DBT-oriented services, and intake case formulation.

📄 Citation / source: Zanarini, M. C., Vujanovic, A. A., Parachini, E. A., et al. (2003). A screening measure for BPD.

📋 37. Zanarini Rating Scale for Borderline Personality Disorder (ZAN-BPD) Adults

Purpose	Assesses the current severity of borderline psychopathology across DSM-based symptom domains.
Format	Originally clinician-rated interview; self-report variants also exist.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	10–15 minutes.
Number of items	9 symptom areas are typically rated.
Scoring	Items are commonly scored 0–4 and summed for a continuous severity index.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Most useful as a severity / change measure rather than a diagnostic cutoff tool.
Access / free notes	Psychometric article access: Guilford article PDF • public form example: public form copy.

✅ Key Features: Helpful when clinicians need to track change in borderline symptoms rather than simply establish presence/absence.

🏥 Clinical Use: DBT / personality-disorder treatment monitoring, symptom tracking, and outcome measurement.

📄 Citation / source: Zanarini, M. C., Frankenburg, F. R., et al. (2003). ZAN-BPD.

📋 38. Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL-R) Adults

Purpose	Structured assessment of psychopathic traits using interview data and collateral / file information.
Format	Clinician / forensic evaluator rating based on interview plus records.
Age / population	Adults, especially forensic populations.
Administration time	60–90+ minutes plus collateral review.
Number of items	20 items.
Scoring	Each item scored 0, 1, or 2; total score 0–40.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	A total score of 30 is the classic North American threshold; some jurisdictions use lower cutoffs such as 25.
Access / free notes	Background overview: Wisconsin ARC overview • public discussion PDF: RMA overview.

✅ Key Features: High-stakes instrument best reserved for properly trained clinicians in appropriate settings.

⚠️ Access / Practice Note: Do not use the PCL-R casually or as a self-report screener; it is a specialized, high-consequence measure that requires training and collateral data.

🏥 Clinical Use: Forensic assessment, violence-risk context, and specialized personality / psychopathy evaluations.

📄 Citation / source: Hare, R. D. (2003). The Hare Psychopathy Checklist–Revised.

🟢 PART 9: Suicide & Self-Harm

📋 39. Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), Adult Version Adults

Purpose	Assesses suicidal ideation severity, intensity, behavior, and lethality / potential lethality across versions.
Format	Clinician-administered or self-report versions depending setting.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	5–10 minutes for screening versions.
Number of items	Varies by version (screen, baseline, since-last-visit, full assessment).
Scoring	No single total score; risk is determined by the pattern, severity, recency, and behavior endorsements.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Any recent active ideation with intent, plan, or suicidal behavior requires immediate clinical follow-up per local safety protocol.
Access / free notes	Columbia overview • adult screening form.

✅ Key Features: One of the most recognized suicide-risk frameworks and highly adaptable across emergency, outpatient, and community settings.

🏥 Clinical Use: Suicide screening, safety planning workflows, crisis triage, and repeated risk monitoring.

📄 Citation / source: Posner, K., Brown, G. K., Stanley, B., et al. (2011). The C-SSRS.

📋 40. PHQ-9 Item 9 (Suicide Item) Adults

Purpose	Flags passive death wishes or self-harm / suicidal thoughts occurring over the past two weeks.
Format	Single self-report item within the PHQ-9.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	Seconds when used within the PHQ-9.
Number of items	1 item.
Scoring	Rated 0–3 from “not at all” to “nearly every day.”
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Any score above 0 should trigger fuller suicide-risk assessment; it should never be used as a stand-alone determination of acute risk.
Access / free notes	Contained in the PHQ-9.

✅ Key Features: Very easy to deploy because it is already embedded in a widely used depression measure, but it is only a flag—not a complete suicide assessment.

🏥 Clinical Use: Routine screening, stepped safety evaluation, and monitoring emergent self-harm thoughts during depression treatment.

📄 Citation / source: Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W. (2001), plus later item-9 validation literature.

📋 41. Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R) Adults

Purpose	Assesses lifetime ideation / attempts, recent ideation frequency, communication of intent, and perceived future likelihood.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults and late adolescents; commonly used with adults.
Administration time	2–5 minutes.
Number of items	4 items.
Scoring	Weighted scoring yields totals from 3–18.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	A cutoff around ≥7 is often used in general adult samples; ≥8 may be used in psychiatric samples.
Access / free notes	SBQ-R PDF.

✅ Key Features: Brief yet broader than a single suicide item because it captures history, current ideation, disclosure, and future likelihood.

🏥 Clinical Use: Adjunct suicide screening, research, and outpatient risk monitoring.

📄 Citation / source: Osman, A., Bagge, C. L., Gutierrez, P. M., et al. (2001). The SBQ-R.

📋 42. Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation Inventory (PANSI) Adults

Purpose	Measures both negative suicidal ideation and positive protective ideation.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adolescents and adults; applicable to adults in clinical and research use.
Administration time	5 minutes.
Number of items	14 items.
Scoring	Yields separate Negative Suicide Ideation and Positive Ideation subscale scores.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	No single universal cutoff; higher negative ideation and lower positive/protective ideation indicate greater concern.
Access / free notes	Psychometric / academic sources: PANSI article PDF • recent review / psychometric article.

✅ Key Features: Adds useful protective-factor information rather than focusing only on risk content.

🏥 Clinical Use: Detailed suicidal ideation assessment, research, and formulation where protective ideation matters.

📄 Citation / source: Osman, A., Gutierrez, P. M., Kopper, B. A., et al. (1998/2003). The PANSI.

📋 43. Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview (SITBI) Adults

Purpose	Provides a comprehensive interview of suicidal ideation, plans, gestures, attempts, and non-suicidal self-injury history.
Format	Structured interview.
Age / population	Originally developed in youth samples but used with adults as well when detailed self-injury history is needed.
Administration time	30–60 minutes depending on history complexity.
Number of items	Module-based interview rather than a single fixed short form.
Scoring	No single global severity score; emphasis is on the presence, frequency, recency, methods, intent, and functions of behaviors.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Not a brief cutoff-based screener; use for full descriptive assessment and risk formulation.
Access / free notes	SITBI short form • long form.

✅ Key Features: Excellent when clinicians need a granular longitudinal history instead of a simple acute-risk snapshot.

🏥 Clinical Use: Specialty suicide assessment, self-injury research, DBT / intensive outpatient intake, and complex case formulation.

📄 Citation / source: Nock, M. K., Holmberg, E. B., Photos, V. I., & Michel, B. D. (2007). SITBI development, reliability, and validity.

🟣 PART 10: Eating Disorders

📋 44. Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26) Adults

Purpose	Screens disordered eating attitudes and behaviors associated with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and related pathology.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults and older adolescents; often used with adults.
Administration time	5–10 minutes.
Number of items	26 items plus behavioral questions.
Scoring	Items are scored 0–3 using EAT-26 conventions; total score 0–78.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	A score of ≥20 indicates clinically significant concern warranting fuller assessment.
Access / free notes	Official EAT-26 site • public PDF example: EAT-26 PDF.

✅ Key Features: Widely recognized and easy to score; still one of the most familiar eating-disorder screeners.

🏥 Clinical Use: Primary care, college counseling, therapy intake, and program screening.

📄 Citation / source: Garner, D. M., Olmsted, M. P., Bohr, Y., & Garfinkel, P. E. (1982). The EAT-26.

📋 45. Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) Adults

Purpose	Assesses eating-disorder psychopathology over the previous 28 days, including restraint, eating concern, shape concern, and weight concern.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	10–15 minutes.
Number of items	28 items in common EDE-Q 6.0 forms.
Scoring	Subscales and a global score are typically calculated on a 0–6 metric; behavioral frequency items are reviewed separately.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	No single universal cutoff; many adult studies use global-score thresholds around 2.3–2.8 depending sample and purpose.
Access / free notes	Measure information and permission notes: CBT-E measures page • public form copy: EDE-Q 6.0 PDF.

✅ Key Features: Offers substantially richer symptom detail than the SCOFF or EAT-26, especially for cognitive eating-disorder features.

🏥 Clinical Use: Eating-disorder intake assessment, specialty services, and repeated symptom tracking.

📄 Citation / source: Fairburn, C. G., & Beglin, S. J. (1994/2008). Assessment of eating disorders: interview or self-report questionnaire?

📋 46. SCOFF Questionnaire Adults

Purpose	Quick screen for core features of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
Format	Self-report or verbal screen.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	1 minute.
Number of items	5 yes/no items.
Scoring	One point per “yes”; total 0–5.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	A score of ≥2 indicates likely case-level eating-disorder concern and warrants fuller evaluation.
Access / free notes	InsideOut overview • public PDF: SCOFF PDF.

✅ Key Features: Probably the fastest practical eating-disorder screener for general medical or counseling settings.

🏥 Clinical Use: Primary care, intake screening, and quick identification of people needing comprehensive eating-disorder assessment.

📄 Citation / source: Morgan, J. F., Reid, F., & Lacey, J. H. (1999). The SCOFF questionnaire.

📋 47. ARFID Screener (e.g., NIAS / brief ARFID screen) Adults

Purpose	Screens for avoidant / restrictive food intake patterns consistent with ARFID presentations.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults and adolescents depending the specific screener; adult use is increasingly common.
Administration time	3–5 minutes.
Number of items	Varies by screener; the NIAS uses 9 items, while some short screens use different item counts.
Scoring	Version-specific; many tools yield domain scores reflecting picky eating, poor appetite / low interest, and fear-related restriction.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Use published thresholds for the exact version chosen; positive screens require clinical interview because ARFID subtypes differ.
Access / free notes	Short public screen: Short ARFID Screen • NIAS PDF: NIAS PDF.

✅ Key Features: Important when eating problems do not appear driven by body-image concerns and standard eating-disorder tools may miss the presentation.

🏥 Clinical Use: Selective / restrictive eating complaints, sensory-based eating, fear of choking/vomiting, and ARFID-focused differential assessment.

📄 Citation / source: Zickgraf, H. F., & Ellis, J. M. (2018). NIAS and related ARFID screening literature.

🔵 PART 11: Substance Use

📋 48. Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) Adults

Purpose	Identifies hazardous and harmful alcohol use and possible alcohol dependence.
Format	Self-report or interviewer-administered.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	2–3 minutes.
Number of items	10 items.
Scoring	0–4 per item, total 0–40.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	≥8 suggests at-risk drinking; higher scores indicate increasing likelihood of harmful use or dependence.
Access / free notes	WHO AUDIT manual.

✅ Key Features: Still one of the best single alcohol measures when you need a fuller picture than the AUDIT-C.

🏥 Clinical Use: SBIRT, therapy intake, psychiatric evaluation, and substance-use treatment triage.

📄 Citation / source: Saunders et al. (1993). AUDIT.

📋 49. Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test–Consumption (AUDIT-C) Adults

Purpose	Screens hazardous drinking using the three consumption items from the full AUDIT.
Format	Self-report or interviewer-administered.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	1 minute.
Number of items	3 items.
Scoring	Items scored 0–4; total score 0–12.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Common cutoffs are ≥4 for men and ≥3 for women; some settings use ≥5 for higher specificity.
Access / free notes	VA AUDIT-C overview • AUDIT-C PDF.

✅ Key Features: Excellent when screening has to be extremely brief but alcohol quantity/frequency still needs to be captured.

🏥 Clinical Use: Primary care, annual wellness screening, triage, and digital pre-visit questionnaires.

📄 Citation / source: Bush, K., Kivlahan, D. R., McDonell, M. B., et al. (1998). The AUDIT-C.

📋 50. CAGE Questionnaire Adults

Purpose	Screens for lifetime alcohol-related problems using four memorable questions.
Format	Self-report or verbal interview.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	Under 1 minute.
Number of items	4 items.
Scoring	One point per “yes”; total 0–4.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	A score of ≥2 is considered clinically significant and suggests further evaluation.
Access / free notes	CAGE PDF.

✅ Key Features: Still useful for quick history-taking, though it is less sensitive to lower-level hazardous use than the AUDIT family.

🏥 Clinical Use: Rapid alcohol history screen, especially when asking screening questions verbally.

📄 Citation / source: Ewing, J. A. (1984). Detecting alcoholism: The CAGE questionnaire.

📋 51. Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10) Adults

Purpose	Briefly screens drug-use consequences and problems over the past year.
Format	Self-report or interviewer-administered.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	2–5 minutes.
Number of items	10 items.
Scoring	Yes/no scoring with total 0–10.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	1–2 low, 3–5 moderate, 6–8 substantial, 9–10 severe problems.
Access / free notes	ASAM DAST-10.

✅ Key Features: Good complement to the AUDIT family when a short broad substance screen is needed.

🏥 Clinical Use: Drug-risk screening, SBIRT, and integrated substance-use intake.

📄 Citation / source: Skinner (1982). DAST.

📋 52. Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) Adults

Purpose	Screens involvement with tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, stimulants, sedatives, opioids, and other substances.
Format	Interviewer-administered or structured self-report adaptation.
Age / population	Adults, especially primary care and integrated care populations.
Administration time	5–10 minutes.
Number of items	8 core questions across substance classes.
Scoring	Produces substance-specific involvement scores rather than one global total.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	For alcohol: 0–10 low, 11–26 moderate, 27+ high. For most drugs: 0–3 low, 4–26 moderate, 27+ high.
Access / free notes	WHO ASSIST PDF • overview: WHO publication page.

✅ Key Features: One of the strongest options when alcohol-only measures are too narrow and multi-substance risk needs standardized coverage.

🏥 Clinical Use: SBIRT, integrated care, primary care, addiction triage, and repeated monitoring of substance-specific risk.

📄 Citation / source: Humeniuk, R., Ali, R., Babor, T., et al. WHO ASSIST project.

📋 53. CRAFFT Transition-age youth / young adults

Purpose	Screens alcohol- and drug-related risk behaviors in adolescents and young adults.
Format	Self-report or clinician interview.
Age / population	Primarily ages 11–21; may be useful in transition-age adult settings.
Administration time	Under 5 minutes.
Number of items	Opening use questions plus 6 CRAFFT items.
Scoring	One point for each “yes” CRAFFT item.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	A score of ≥2 suggests clinically meaningful substance-related risk and need for fuller assessment.
Access / free notes	CRAFFT manual • CRAFFT 2.1+N clinician form.

✅ Key Features: Best reserved for late adolescents / young adults rather than mature adult populations.

🏥 Clinical Use: College health, transition clinics, young-adult psychiatry, and adolescent-to-adult care handoff.

📄 Citation / source: Knight, J. R., Shrier, L. A., Bravender, T. D., et al. (1999/2002). CRAFFT.

🔵 PART 12: Cognitive / Neuropsychological

📋 54. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) Adults

Purpose	Brief bedside cognitive screen for orientation, attention, recall, language, and constructional praxis.
Format	Clinician-administered.
Age / population	Adults, especially older adults.
Administration time	7–10 minutes.
Number of items	11 tasks / 30 points total.
Scoring	Total score ranges 0–30.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Scores below 24 often indicate cognitive impairment, but age, education, culture, and sensory deficits strongly affect interpretation.
Access / free notes	Copyright context: copyright discussion • overview: CGA Toolkit overview.

✅ Key Features: Familiar and historically important, but less sensitive than MoCA or SLUMS for milder impairment.

⚠️ Access / Practice Note: Because MMSE rights are restricted, many clinicians prefer alternatives such as MoCA or SLUMS when a freely distributable screening measure is needed.

🏥 Clinical Use: Legacy comparison, bedside screening, and settings where the MMSE remains institutionally embedded.

📄 Citation / source: Folstein, M. F., Folstein, S. E., & McHugh, P. R. (1975). “Mini-mental state”.

📋 55. Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) Adults

Purpose	Rapid cognitive screening emphasizing mild cognitive dysfunction across multiple domains.
Format	Clinician-administered.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	10–15 minutes.
Number of items	30-point test with multi-domain tasks.
Scoring	Total score 0–30; one point may be added for 12 or fewer years of education in the standard scoring rule.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Scores below 26 are commonly considered abnormal, though interpretation should consider education, language, and local norms.
Access / free notes	MoCA official site • training page: training & certification.

✅ Key Features: Highly popular because it is more sensitive than the MMSE to milder executive and visuospatial deficits.

⚠️ Access / Practice Note: MoCA administration terms have changed over time; check the official site for current certification and reuse requirements before implementation.

🏥 Clinical Use: Memory clinics, neurology, geriatric psychiatry, and mild cognitive impairment screening.

📄 Citation / source: Nasreddine, Z. S., Phillips, N. A., Bédirian, V., et al. (2005). The MoCA.

📋 56. Saint Louis University Mental Status Exam (SLUMS) Adults

Purpose	Screens for mild neurocognitive disorder and dementia with sensitivity to milder deficits.
Format	Clinician-administered.
Age / population	Adults, especially older adults.
Administration time	7–10 minutes.
Number of items	11 tasks / 30 points total.
Scoring	Total score 0–30.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	With high-school education: 27–30 normal, 21–26 mild neurocognitive disorder, 1–20 dementia; lower education uses slightly lower thresholds.
Access / free notes	Official SLUMS PDF • SLU page.

✅ Key Features: A very practical no-cost alternative when institutions want a freely accessible cognitive screener.

🏥 Clinical Use: Primary care geriatrics, older-adult psychiatry, memory screening, and bedside evaluation.

📄 Citation / source: Tariq, S. H., Tumosa, N., Chibnall, J. T., Perry, M. H., & Morley, J. E. (2006). The SLUMS Examination.

📋 57. PHQ-Cognitive (brief cognitive complaint screen) Adults

Purpose	Captures brief self-reported cognitive or concentration complaints in PHQ-style symptom screening workflows.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	1–3 minutes.
Number of items	Varies by implementation.
Scoring	Version-specific; many workflows rely on brief symptom counts or concentration-item review rather than a standardized normed total.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Use only as a symptom flag. Positive findings should prompt a fuller cognitive screen such as MoCA, SLUMS, MMSE, or neuropsychological evaluation as appropriate.
Access / free notes	Related PHQ resources: PHQ Screeners • combined PHQ examples: sample PHQ packet.

✅ Key Features: Useful only as a pragmatic brief complaint screen—not as a replacement for validated cognitive assessment.

⚠️ Access / Practice Note: Because this is not a single canonical standardized instrument, document the exact version used and avoid overstating its psychometric status.

🏥 Clinical Use: Initial triage of subjective concentration complaints, especially when depression, anxiety, or sleep problems may be contributing.

📄 Citation / source: PHQ family materials and clinician-developed PHQ-style cognitive complaint workflows.

🟠 PART 13: Emotion Regulation & Personality Functioning

📋 58. Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS / DERS-16) Adults

Purpose	Measures multiple dimensions of emotion dysregulation such as nonacceptance, goals, impulse, awareness, strategies, and clarity.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	5–10 minutes.
Number of items	36 items in the original DERS; 16 items in the DERS-16 short form.
Scoring	Items are typically scored 1–5; higher scores indicate greater difficulty with emotion regulation.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	No universal clinical cutoff; interpret using total score, subscale pattern, and change over time.
Access / free notes	NCTSN overview • public DERS PDF: DERS PDF • DERS-16: overview.

✅ Key Features: Particularly valuable in DBT-informed, trauma-informed, and personality-focused case formulation.

🏥 Clinical Use: Emotion dysregulation assessment, treatment targeting, and outcome monitoring in therapies focused on coping and affect modulation.

📄 Citation / source: Gratz, K. L., & Roemer, L. (2004). Multidimensional assessment of emotion regulation and dysregulation.

📋 59. Impact of Event Scale–Revised (IES-R) Adults

Purpose	Measures subjective distress related to a specific traumatic or highly stressful event.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	5–10 minutes.
Number of items	22 items.
Scoring	Items scored 0–4; total score 0–88, with intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal subscales.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Cutoffs vary; scores in the mid-20s or higher commonly indicate clinically concerning trauma-related distress requiring follow-up.
Access / free notes	IES-R PDF • overview: HIGN overview.

✅ Key Features: Useful when clinicians want an event-specific stress reaction measure but do not necessarily need the full PCL-5 workflow.

🏥 Clinical Use: Post-trauma distress monitoring, disaster response, occupational trauma screening, and adjunct trauma assessment.

📄 Citation / source: Weiss, D. S., & Marmar, C. R. (1997). The IES-R.

📋 60. Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) Adults

Purpose	Measures two common emotion-regulation strategies: cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	2–3 minutes.
Number of items	10 items.
Scoring	Items scored 1–7; separate mean or total scores are calculated for Reappraisal and Suppression.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	No clinical cutoff; best interpreted as a style / tendency measure rather than pathology threshold.
Access / free notes	ERQ PDF.

✅ Key Features: Short and elegant when clinicians want a quick read on how a client habitually manages emotion rather than how dysregulated they feel overall.

🏥 Clinical Use: Case formulation, psychotherapy targeting, and research / outcome work on coping style.

📄 Citation / source: Gross, J. J., & John, O. P. (2003). Individual differences in two emotion regulation processes.

📋 61. Behavioral Inhibition / Behavioral Activation Scales (BIS/BAS) Adults

Purpose	Assesses individual differences in sensitivity to punishment/inhibition and reward/approach systems.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	3–5 minutes.
Number of items	24 items including filler items; principal scored subscales are BIS, BAS Drive, BAS Fun Seeking, and BAS Reward Responsiveness.
Scoring	Items are commonly scored 1–4 with subscale totals / means.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	No clinical cutoff; use as a temperament / motivation profile.
Access / free notes	BIS/BAS PDF • original paper: PsycNet article.

✅ Key Features: Helpful for personality-style formulation, reward sensitivity, and avoidance / approach dynamics.

🏥 Clinical Use: Temperament profiling, personality-oriented therapy, motivational formulation, and research.

📄 Citation / source: Carver, C. S., & White, T. L. (1994). Behavioral inhibition, behavioral activation, and affective responses.

🔷 PART 14: Sleep & Somatic

📋 62. Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) Adults

Purpose	Assesses perceived insomnia severity, satisfaction with sleep, interference, and distress.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	2–3 minutes.
Number of items	7 items.
Scoring	Items scored 0–4; total score 0–28.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	0–7 no clinically significant insomnia, 8–14 subthreshold, 15–21 moderate, 22–28 severe insomnia.
Access / free notes	ISI PDF.

✅ Key Features: One of the most practical sleep measures for behavioral health because it is brief, interpretable, and responsive to treatment change.

🏥 Clinical Use: Sleep-focused CBT, intake screening, primary care behavioral health, and treatment outcome monitoring.

📄 Citation / source: Bastien, C. H., Vallières, A., & Morin, C. M. (2001). Validation of the ISI.

📋 63. Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) Adults

Purpose	Measures usual daytime sleepiness across common sedentary situations.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	2–3 minutes.
Number of items	8 items.
Scoring	Each item scored 0–3; total score 0–24.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Scores of 11 or higher commonly indicate excessive daytime sleepiness requiring further evaluation.
Access / free notes	CDC ESS PDF • Inova copy.

✅ Key Features: Useful when complaints may reflect sleep apnea, hypersomnia, medication effects, or circadian disruption rather than insomnia alone.

🏥 Clinical Use: Sleep clinic screening, medical-behavioral assessment, and fatigue differential diagnosis.

📄 Citation / source: Johns, M. W. (1991). A new method for measuring daytime sleepiness: the ESS.

📋 64. Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) Adults

Purpose	Assesses common somatic symptoms such as pain, GI distress, dizziness, fatigue, and sleep problems.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	3–5 minutes.
Number of items	15 items.
Scoring	Items scored 0–2; total score 0–30.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	5 mild, 10 moderate, 15 severe somatic symptom burden.
Access / free notes	PHQ-15 PDF • DSM-5 adaptation: APA DSM-5 level-2 form.

✅ Key Features: Very practical when depression/anxiety presentations are heavily somatic or when health anxiety / somatization is part of the differential.

🏥 Clinical Use: Primary care behavioral health, somatic symptom screening, and integrated care formulation.

📄 Citation / source: Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W. (2002). The PHQ-15.

📋 65. Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) Adults

Purpose	Measures the functional impact and severity of fatigue.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	3–5 minutes.
Number of items	9 items.
Scoring	Items scored 1–7; clinicians often use the mean score across items.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	A mean score of 4 or higher is commonly interpreted as clinically significant fatigue.
Access / free notes	FSS PDF.

✅ Key Features: Useful in behavioral health when fatigue may reflect depression, sleep problems, chronic illness, or medication effects.

🏥 Clinical Use: Fatigue screening, rehabilitation contexts, chronic illness overlap assessment, and monitoring functional impact.

📄 Citation / source: Krupp, L. B., LaRocca, N. G., Muir-Nash, J., & Steinberg, A. D. (1989). The FSS.

🟤 PART 15: OCD & Related

📋 66. Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), Adult Version Adults

Purpose	Measures severity of obsessions and compulsions regardless of specific content area.
Format	Clinician-administered semi-structured interview with symptom checklist and severity ratings.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	20–30 minutes.
Number of items	10 severity items plus symptom checklist.
Scoring	Each severity item scored 0–4; total severity score 0–40.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	0–7 subclinical, 8–15 mild, 16–23 moderate, 24–31 severe, 32–40 extreme.
Access / free notes	Y-BOCS PDF • public severity form: severity ratings.

✅ Key Features: Still the benchmark OCD severity tool because it is clinician-rated and sensitive to treatment-related change.

🏥 Clinical Use: OCD intake, ERP treatment planning, severity tracking, and specialty OCD services.

📄 Citation / source: Goodman, W. K., Price, L. H., Rasmussen, S. A., et al. (1989). The Y-BOCS.

📋 67. Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory–Revised (OCI-R) Adults

Purpose	Measures OCD symptoms across washing, checking, ordering, obsessing, hoarding, and neutralizing domains.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	5 minutes.
Number of items	18 items.
Scoring	Items scored 0–4; total score 0–72 with six subscale scores.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	A total score of about 21 or greater is a commonly cited screening threshold for likely OCD.
Access / free notes	OCI-R scale and manual.

✅ Key Features: A very efficient self-report measure when clinicians want a broad OCD symptom profile before or alongside interview-based assessment.

🏥 Clinical Use: OCD screening, symptom profiling, and outcome tracking in ERP or medication treatment.

📄 Citation / source: Foa, E. B., Huppert, J. D., Leiberg, S., et al. (2002). The OCI-R.

📋 68. Brown Assessment of Beliefs Scale (BABS) Adults

Purpose	Assesses degree of conviction, insight, and delusionality regarding pathological beliefs.
Format	Clinician-rated interview.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	10 minutes.
Number of items	7 core items in the common adult version.
Scoring	Items scored 0–4; higher scores indicate poorer insight / more fixed beliefs.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	No single universal cutoff; use to quantify insight and monitor change over time.
Access / free notes	BABS adult PDF.

✅ Key Features: Particularly valuable when clinicians need to distinguish obsessional doubt from more fixed or overvalued beliefs.

🏥 Clinical Use: OCD, body dysmorphic disorder, related disorders, and treatment planning where insight affects engagement.

📄 Citation / source: Eisen, J. L., Phillips, K. A., Baer, L., et al. (1998). The Brown Assessment of Beliefs Scale.

🟦 PART 16: Functional Impairment

📋 69. Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale – Self Report (WFIRS-S) Adults

Purpose	Assesses real-world impairment across multiple life domains, separate from symptom counts.
Format	Adult self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	10–15 minutes.
Number of items	69 items across 7 functional domains in the adult self-report form.
Scoring	Items are rated 0–3; clinicians review domain means and clinically significant item patterns.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Common impairment flags include elevated domain means, one item rated 3, or multiple items rated 2 within a domain; local scoring guides should be used.
Access / free notes	Official CADDRA WFIRS-S PDF • scoring guide: CADDRA scoring guide.

✅ Key Features: Especially useful when symptom reduction does not necessarily mean functional recovery.

🏥 Clinical Use: ADHD assessment, disability documentation, outcome monitoring, and functional goal tracking.

📄 Citation / source: Weiss, M. D., et al. WFIRS development and validation literature.

📋 70. Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) Adults

Purpose	Assesses functional disruption across work/school, social life, and family life / home responsibilities.
Format	Self-report visual analog scale.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	1–2 minutes.
Number of items	3 core disability ratings plus optional days-lost / reduced-productivity items.
Scoring	Core items are scored 0–10 and summed to a 0–30 disability score.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Rough guide: 0–10 mild, 11–20 moderate, 21–30 marked impairment.
Access / free notes	SDS overview PDF • protocol summary: PhenX protocol.

✅ Key Features: One of the fastest functioning scales available and very easy to use repeatedly.

🏥 Clinical Use: Outcome monitoring, medication follow-up, and quick functional check-ins across diagnoses.

📄 Citation / source: Sheehan, D. V. (1983/1996). The Sheehan Disability Scale.

📋 71. Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS) Adults

Purpose	Measures impairment in work, home management, social leisure, private leisure, and close relationships due to a specified problem.
Format	Self-report.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	2–3 minutes.
Number of items	5 items.
Scoring	Items scored 0–8; total score 0–40.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Scores above 10 indicate significant functional impairment; scores above 20 suggest moderately severe or worse psychopathology-related impairment.
Access / free notes	WSAS PDF • psychometric review: PMC article.

✅ Key Features: Simple, specific, and versatile because it asks about functioning in relation to the patient’s identified problem, not a diagnosis label alone.

🏥 Clinical Use: Routine outcomes work, psychotherapy monitoring, and functional impact tracking across many disorders.

📄 Citation / source: Mundt, J. C., Marks, I. M., Shear, M. K., & Greist, J. H. (2002). The WSAS.

📋 72. Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) Adults

Purpose	Provides a single global estimate of overall functioning / severity on a mental health continuum.
Format	Clinician-rated.
Age / population	Adults.
Administration time	1–3 minutes once the clinical picture is known.
Number of items	Single 0–100 global rating.
Scoring	Clinician assigns one decile-anchored rating based on the lowest relevant level of functioning / symptom severity.
Typical cutoffs / interpretation	Higher scores indicate better functioning; commonly interpreted in 10-point anchor bands (e.g., 41–50 serious symptoms, 51–60 moderate symptoms).
Access / free notes	GAF PDF • guidance review: rating guidelines.

✅ Key Features: Still useful for legacy records and quick global summarization, though DSM-5 moved away from the GAF toward other approaches.

🏥 Clinical Use: Legacy chart review, historical comparison, and broad clinician communication of overall functioning.

📄 Citation / source: American Psychiatric Association. DSM-IV / DSM-IV-TR GAF materials.

🛠️ Implementation Guidelines

1. Assessment Selection Framework

Match the tool to the referral question: broad-spectrum measures for unclear presentations, focused measures for known symptom clusters.
Check age/population fit, literacy demands, and whether the measure is self-report, observer-report, or clinician-rated.
Use free / public tools when possible, but do not substitute an inferior tool for a clinically necessary one merely because of access convenience.
When risk is high, prioritize safety assessment over questionnaire completion.

2. Baseline and Repeated Measurement

Obtain a baseline before treatment whenever feasible.
Use the same scale across timepoints to allow meaningful comparisons.
Re-administer brief monitoring tools at clinically meaningful intervals, often every 2–8 weeks depending on acuity and treatment intensity.
Document both symptom change and functional change.

3. Multi-Method Assessment

Combine standardized measures with interview, mental status exam, history, and collateral information.
Use clinician-rated tools when symptom complexity, psychosis, mania, or trauma diagnosis requires more than self-report.
For neurocognitive screening, consider language, education, sensory limitations, and medical contributors before drawing conclusions.

4. Interpreting Cutoffs Carefully

Published cutoffs are screening thresholds, not diagnoses.
Sensitivity / specificity shift by setting, base rate, and population.
When norms or thresholds vary by sample, document the version and rationale used.
A positive screen should trigger fuller assessment—not automatic labeling.

⚖️ Best Practices & Ethics

1. Informed Consent and Transparency

Explain why the measure is being used, how results will be interpreted, and what will happen if the screen is positive.
Clarify confidentiality limits, especially for suicide, self-harm, violence, abuse, or medical emergencies.
Tell clients when a tool is only a screening aid and not a stand-alone diagnosis.

2. Cultural and Linguistic Considerations

Use validated translations whenever possible rather than ad hoc translation.
Interpret scores cautiously when norms are based on populations that differ substantially from the client.
Consider cultural differences in symptom expression, stigma, and idioms of distress.

3. Licensing and Scope of Use

Publicly viewable does not always mean unrestricted redistribution or commercial reuse.
Measures such as CAARS, PANSS, MMSE, and some Beck / Hare instruments may have licensing, publisher, or training restrictions.
Document the exact version and source used in your clinic.

4. Suicide and High-Risk Presentations

Any positive suicide-risk indicator should trigger your local safety pathway, not just another questionnaire.
Use structured tools to support judgment—not to replace clinical responsibility.
Document follow-up actions, protective factors, consultation, and disposition clearly.

✅ Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance Priorities

Train staff in administration, scoring, and interpretation—not just form distribution.
Review tool versions annually so outdated or superseded forms are not used inadvertently.
Audit whether positive screens are followed by appropriate clinical action.
Pair symptom measures with functional and risk measures to avoid overly narrow outcome tracking.
Monitor whether measures are equitable and clinically meaningful in your specific patient population.

📊 Quick Reference Summary Table

The table below gives a fast comparison view across the adult measures in this guide. Duplicated measures that appear in more than one part are shown once here.

Measure	Domain	Age range	Format	Best use case	Free / access notes
Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale-24 (BASIS-24)	Broad-spectrum / functioning	Adults	Adult self-report.	A rapid overview of symptoms and everyday functioning across multiple behavioral health domains.	Publicly viewable forms exist, but BASIS-24 is a branded instrument and reuse terms should be checked.
Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)	Substance use	Adults	Self-report or interviewer-administered.	Brief alcohol-risk screening in primary care, therapy intake, and integrated behavioral health.	Widely available in WHO and public-health toolkits.
Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10)	Substance use	Adults	Self-report or clinician-administered.	Fast non-alcohol drug-use screening when time is limited.	Publicly available in multiple SBIRT and professional toolkits.
Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)	Depression	Ages 18+	Self-report.	First-line depression screening and routine symptom monitoring.	Widely used and freely accessible from PHQ Screeners and many clinical toolkits.
Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2)	Depression	Adults	Self-report.	Ultra-brief first-step depression screen before using the PHQ-9 or a full interview.	Commonly distributed through public clinical toolkits.
Beck Depression Inventory-Fast Screen (BDI-FS)	Depression	Adults	Self-report.	Depression screening in medically ill adults when somatic confounds are a concern.	Access varies; verify current Beck/Pearson licensing before routine reuse.
Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)	Depression	Adults	Self-report.	Broader population-level depression symptom screening and repeated self-report severity tracking.	Frequently available in research and public-health resources.
Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS)	Depression	Adults	Clinician-rated interview.	Clinician-rated depression severity when you want sensitivity to change across visits.	Public forms exist, but it remains a clinician-rated instrument that should be administered by trained staff.
Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, Self-Report (QIDS-SR16)	Depression	Adults	Self-report.	Efficient severity tracking aligned with DSM depressive symptom domains.	Commonly distributed in public measurement-based care packets.
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)	Depression / perinatal	Perinatal adults	Self-report.	Screening during pregnancy and postpartum when perinatal depression is a concern.	Widely available in public perinatal care resources.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7)	Anxiety	Adults	Self-report.	First-line anxiety screening and monitoring in general outpatient care.	Widely distributed in public clinical toolkits.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 (GAD-2)	Anxiety	Adults	Self-report.	Very brief first-pass anxiety screen when workflow time is extremely limited.	Commonly available in public screening packets.
Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ)	Anxiety / worry	Adults	Self-report.	Trait-worry assessment when pathological worry is the central complaint.	Public copies are widely available in academic and clinical resources.
Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale (OASIS)	Anxiety	Adults	Self-report.	Brief severity and impairment tracking across anxiety disorders.	Public copies are available through clinical and academic sources.
Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN)	Anxiety / social anxiety	Adults	Self-report.	Brief screening for social anxiety symptoms and severity.	Public copies are easy to find, though copyright notices should be preserved.
Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS)	Anxiety / social anxiety	Adults	Originally clinician-rated; commonly used in self-report form as well.	More detailed appraisal of social fear and avoidance across common performance and interaction situations.	Public versions exist, but version/source and reuse terms vary.
PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)	Trauma / PTSD	Adults	Self-report.	First-line adult PTSD symptom screen and treatment outcome tracker.	Officially available from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
PTSD Checklist – Civilian Version (PCL-C)	Trauma / PTSD	Adults	Self-report.	Legacy DSM-IV PTSD screen when historical continuity with older datasets or programs matters.	Publicly available via VA legacy materials.
Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5)	Trauma / PTSD	Adults	Clinician-administered structured interview.	Gold-standard structured PTSD diagnostic interview.	Available through VA resources, but intended for trained clinicians and access/training requirements apply.
International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ)	Trauma / complex PTSD	Adults	Self-report.	ICD-11 PTSD and complex PTSD screening when disturbances in self-organization are clinically relevant.	Public-domain copies are available through trauma services and academic resources.
Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5)	Trauma exposure	Adults	Self-report or interview format.	Trauma-exposure inventory to pair with PTSD symptom measures.	Free from the VA National Center for PTSD.
PHQ Trauma Module	Trauma / primary care adjunct	Adults	Self-report.	A brief primary-care style trauma add-on when using broader PHQ/PRIME-MD batteries.	No single canonical standalone PHQ Trauma Module was verified; versions vary and clinicians should inspect the source form before use.
Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ)	Bipolar spectrum	Adults	Self-report.	Brief bipolar-spectrum screener in depression evaluations.	Public copies are widely circulated for clinical use.
Hypomania Checklist-32 (HCL-32)	Bipolar spectrum	Adults	Self-report.	Sensitive screen for lifetime hypomanic symptoms, especially bipolar II / softer spectrum presentations.	Public forms are available in academic sources; source/version should be checked.
Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS)	Mania	Adults	Clinician-rated interview / observation.	Clinician-rated mania severity tracking in acute or outpatient settings.	Public forms are available, but trained clinician administration is recommended.
Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS / HAM-D)	Depression / mood severity	Adults	Clinician-administered interview.	Clinician-rated depression severity, especially in psychiatry and research traditions.	Public forms exist, but consistent training and version tracking matter.
Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS)	Psychosis / general psychiatric severity	Adults	Clinician-rated interview.	Compact clinician rating of broad psychiatric symptom burden including psychotic symptoms.	Public forms and manuals are available; version consistency matters.
Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS)	Psychosis / schizophrenia	Adults	Clinician-rated structured interview.	Detailed schizophrenia-spectrum symptom characterization when positive, negative, and general symptoms all matter.	PANSS is widely used but formal manuals / commercial materials may be subject to publisher licensing.
Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI)	Global severity / improvement	Adults	Clinician-rated.	Very brief clinician global rating across psychiatric disorders.	Widely reproduced in clinical literature and public PDFs.
Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS)	Psychosis	Adults	Clinician-rated interview.	Detailed dimensional analysis of hallucinations and delusions.	Public forms and manual copies are available in academic sources.
Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1)	ADHD	Adults	Self-report; 6-item screener and 18-item symptom checklist versions exist.	Standard first-line adult ADHD screener.	The WHO / Harvard screener is freely available for clinical use.
Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS)	ADHD	Adults	Self-report and observer-report, long and short forms.	More detailed profiling when you need broader symptom patterns or observer input.	CAARS is generally proprietary; some sample or legacy forms are viewable, but licensing should be checked.
Wender Utah Rating Scale – 25 item (WURS-25)	ADHD history	Adults	Self-report retrospective rating.	Retrospective childhood symptom screen during adult ADHD evaluations.	Public copies are commonly available.
Diagnostic Interview for ADHD in Adults (DIVA 2.0)	ADHD diagnostic interview	Adults	Clinician interview.	Structured diagnostic interview when a full adult ADHD evaluation is needed.	Older DIVA 2.0 PDFs are public; the DIVA Foundation now promotes newer versions such as DIVA-5.
Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4 (PDQ-4 / PDQ-4+)	Personality disorders	Adults	Self-report; often paired with a clinical significance interview.	Broad self-report personality disorder screening before interview-based clarification.	The PDQ family is associated with an official site and commercial/restricted usage considerations.
McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD)	Borderline personality screening	Adults	Self-report yes/no screener.	Practical brief screen when borderline features are suspected.	Public copies are widely available.
Zanarini Rating Scale for Borderline Personality Disorder (ZAN-BPD)	Borderline severity	Adults	Originally clinician-rated interview; self-report variants also exist.	Severity tracking for borderline symptom change over time.	Public examples exist, but versions vary (clinician-rated and self-report variants).
Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL-R)	Psychopathy / forensic personality assessment	Adults	Clinician / forensic evaluator rating based on interview plus records.	Specialized psychopathy assessment in forensic or highly structured evaluations.	Specialized training, interview skill, collateral data, and licensing considerations apply.
Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), Adult Version	Suicide / self-harm	Adults	Clinician-administered or self-report versions depending setting.	Standardized suicide-risk screening and triage.	Officially available from the Columbia Lighthouse Project.
PHQ-9 Item 9 (Suicide Item)	Suicide / self-harm	Adults	Single self-report item within the PHQ-9.	Quick suicide-risk flag embedded in a routine depression screen.	Included in the PHQ-9; no separate licensing beyond the PHQ family.
Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R)	Suicide / self-harm	Adults	Self-report.	Brief adjunct screen incorporating ideation, attempts, and future likelihood.	Public copies are available in prevention resources.
Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation Inventory (PANSI)	Suicide / self-harm	Adults	Self-report.	More nuanced ideation assessment incorporating both risk and protective ideation.	Most often accessed through academic / research sources rather than mainstream clinical repositories.
Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview (SITBI)	Suicide / self-harm interview	Adults	Structured interview.	Detailed interview when a full history of suicidal and non-suicidal self-injury is needed.	Public forms exist in academic sources; interviewer training is strongly recommended.
Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26)	Eating disorders	Adults	Self-report.	Classic first-pass eating-disorder risk screener.	Official site provides public online and paper-access information.
Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q)	Eating disorders	Adults	Self-report.	More detailed eating-disorder symptom assessment than ultra-brief screeners.	Permission / version guidance should be checked through CBT-E / developer resources.
SCOFF Questionnaire	Eating disorders	Adults	Self-report or verbal screen.	Very brief eating-disorder screen in busy settings.	Freely reproduced in many public-health and clinical resources.
ARFID Screener (e.g., NIAS / brief ARFID screen)	Eating disorders / ARFID	Adults	Self-report.	Targeted screening when restrictive eating appears sensory-, fear-, or appetite-based rather than weight-shape driven.	Multiple public brief ARFID screens exist; version-specific interpretation matters.
Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test–Consumption (AUDIT-C)	Substance use	Adults	Self-report or interviewer-administered.	Shortest practical alcohol-risk screen when only consumption questions are feasible.	Freely available from VA and public-health toolkits.
CAGE Questionnaire	Substance use	Adults	Self-report or verbal interview.	Classic ultra-brief alcohol misuse screen.	Public-domain style distribution is common across clinical resources.
Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST)	Substance use	Adults	Interviewer-administered or structured self-report adaptation.	Best broad WHO screen when multiple substance classes must be covered systematically.	Official WHO materials are publicly available.
CRAFFT	Substance use	Transition-age youth / young adults	Self-report or clinician interview.	Transition-age screen for adolescents and young adults entering adult care.	Official CRAFFT PDFs and manuals are publicly available.
Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)	Cognitive screening	Adults	Clinician-administered.	Brief bedside screen for global cognitive impairment when older legacy norms are needed.	Access and copyright restrictions apply; do not assume unrestricted printing or redistribution.
Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)	Cognitive screening	Adults	Clinician-administered.	Mild cognitive impairment screening when greater sensitivity than the MMSE is desired.	Official use requires current MoCA training / certification conditions; the form is free for qualifying users but terms should be checked.
Saint Louis University Mental Status Exam (SLUMS)	Cognitive screening	Adults	Clinician-administered.	Freely accessible alternative to the MMSE for mild cognitive impairment and dementia screening.	Freely available from Saint Louis University.
PHQ-Cognitive (brief cognitive complaint screen)	Cognitive / concentration complaints	Adults	Self-report.	A pragmatic PHQ-style complaint screen when patients primarily report concentration or “brain fog” symptoms.	There is no single universally standardized instrument called “PHQ-Cognitive”; versions are local or embedded in broader PHQ-style packets.
Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS / DERS-16)	Emotion regulation	Adults	Self-report.	Assessment of broad emotion dysregulation when affective control problems are central to the case.	Public copies and short forms are commonly available in academic resources.
Impact of Event Scale–Revised (IES-R)	Trauma / stress response	Adults	Self-report.	Self-report assessment of post-event intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal.	Public copies are widely available.
Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ)	Emotion regulation style	Adults	Self-report.	Assessment of habitual reappraisal and suppression strategies.	Public PDFs are available through academic sources.
Behavioral Inhibition / Behavioral Activation Scales (BIS/BAS)	Motivational style / personality functioning	Adults	Self-report.	Temperament-style assessment of inhibition and reward sensitivity.	Academic/public copies are available.
Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)	Sleep	Adults	Self-report.	Brief insomnia screen and severity tracker.	Freely available in many clinical and sleep-medicine resources.
Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS)	Sleepiness	Adults	Self-report.	Daytime sleepiness screening when fatigue or somnolence complaints are prominent.	Widely reproduced in clinical settings.
Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15)	Somatic symptoms	Adults	Self-report.	Brief measure of somatic symptom burden in primary care and behavioral health.	Freely accessible through PHQ / DSM-5 level-2 resources.
Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS)	Fatigue	Adults	Self-report.	Fatigue severity screening when exhaustion is a major complaint.	Public copies are widely available.
Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), Adult Version	OCD	Adults	Clinician-administered semi-structured interview with symptom checklist and severity ratings.	Reference-standard OCD severity interview.	Public PDFs are easy to find, but it should be administered by clinicians familiar with OCD phenomenology.
Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory–Revised (OCI-R)	OCD	Adults	Self-report.	Brief self-report OCD symptom screen and severity profile.	Public copies are widely available.
Brown Assessment of Beliefs Scale (BABS)	Insight / beliefs	Adults	Clinician-rated interview.	Insight and conviction assessment when obsessional, body-image, or fixed beliefs are clinically important.	Public adult-version PDFs are available.
Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale – Self Report (WFIRS-S)	Functional impairment	Adults	Adult self-report.	Detailed domain-level impairment assessment, especially in ADHD and outcome monitoring.	Public PDFs are available through CADDRA and affiliated sites.
Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS)	Functional impairment	Adults	Self-report visual analog scale.	Very brief snapshot of work, social, and family impairment.	Commonly reproduced in clinical and research settings.
Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS)	Functional impairment	Adults	Self-report.	Brief functional measure tied to a specific identified problem.	Public PDFs are widely available.
Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF)	Global functioning	Adults	Clinician-rated.	Legacy global clinician rating of overall psychological, social, and occupational functioning.	Public DSM-IV-era descriptions are widely available.

📚 Resources & References

Key Organizations and Repositories

Selected Foundational References

Goodman, W. K., Price, L. H., Rasmussen, S. A., et al. Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS).
Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W. The PHQ-9 and PHQ-2 validation studies.
Spitzer, R. L., Kroenke, K., Williams, J. B. W., & Löwe, B. A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: the GAD-7.
Blevins, C. A., Weathers, F. W., et al. The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5).
Rush, A. J., Trivedi, M. H., et al. The Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS).
Montgomery, S. A., & Åsberg, M. A new depression scale designed to be sensitive to change.
Osman, A., Bagge, C. L., et al. The Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R).
Foa, E. B., Huppert, J. D., et al. The Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R).
Mundt, J. C., Marks, I. M., et al. The Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS).
Gratz, K. L., & Roemer, L. Multidimensional assessment of emotion regulation and dysregulation (DERS).

Comprehensive Guide to Free Adult Behavior Assessmentsfor Therapeutic Use with Adults

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