Clinical Preparation Tool
1. List what DSM diagnosis the tool/instrument is used for.
2. Identify an assessment/diagnosis instrument.
3. Appraise a scholarly, peer-reviewed article that addresses the use of the instrument to support your choice as an evidence-based instrument for practice.
4. Evaluate the instrument’s appropriateness for diagnosing the condition it is designed to assess or if the developers of the instrument reported that the instrument is only part of a comprehensive assessment for the disorder.
5. Describe whether or not the instrument can be used to measure patient response to therapy/treatment or if it is strictly for assessment and diagnosis.
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): The Conners' Rating Scales, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) are all commonly used to assess ADHD.
- Depression: The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) are all commonly used to assess depression.
- Anxiety disorders: The Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)-7, the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS), and the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) are all commonly used to assess anxiety disorders.
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD): The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) are both gold-standard instruments for diagnosing ASD.
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): The Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) and the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) are both commonly used to assess PTSD.