Abstract
The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale provides clinicians with a method for the quick assessment of major dimensions of psychopathology. It was first developed as a 16-item interview-based rating scale by Overall and Gorham (1962) and later expanded to its present 18-item form (Overall, 1983). The scale items were designed to cover a broad range of symptoms and were based on factor analytic studies of earlier scales as well as the clinical expertise of mental health professionals (Hedlund & Vieweg, 1980; Overall, 1983; Overall & Gorham, 1962). The scale is widely used for diagnosis of severe psychopathology and evaluation of treatment related changes in individuals with severe psychopathology. It is most commonly used with schizophrenics; however, it has also been used with depressed, manic, and demented clients. Several researchers (e.g., Bech, Kastrup, & Rafaelsen, 1986) have proposed slight modifications in the scale, but since the Overall (1983) version seems to be most commonly used, we will report on that version.
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Schutte, N.S., Malouff, J.M. (1995). Measures of Global Functioning. In: Sourcebook of Adult Assessment Strategies. Applied Clinical Psychology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1277-0_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1277-0_15
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