Measures Registry

Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS)

Description

The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) was developed to measure psychiatric patient change over time. Each scale item represents a discrete symptom (e.g., depressive mood). Clinical interviewers, using both patient report of symptoms experienced over the preceding 2 weeks and behavioral observations made during a semi-structured interview, complete the ratings.

Purpose

To rapidly assess psychiatric symptoms and severe psychopathology, with a particular focus on patient change over time.

Population

Adults with severe psychiatric disorders

Year of Publication

1962

Reference

Overall, J. E., & Gorham, D. R. (1962). The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Psychological Reports, 10(3), 799-812. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1962.10.3.799

Number of Items

Scale Types (Likert=Likert Type; MC=Multiple Choice; T/F=True/False; OR=Open Response)

Likert Type

Likert: 1 = Not present, 2 = Very mild, 3 = Mild, 4 = Moderate, 5 = Moderate severe, 6 = Severe, 7 = Extremely severe

Subscales

Somatic Concern Anxiety Emotional Withdrawal Conceptual Disorganization Guilt Feelings Tension Mannerisms and Posturing Grandiosity Depressive Mood Hostility Suspiciousness Hallucinatory Behavior Motor Retardation Uncooperativeness Unusual Thought Content Blunted Affect

Scoring

Interviewers rate symptom severity on a 7-point scale from 1 (not present) to 7 (extremely severe). The scores of each item correlate to a specific symptom (e.g., depressive mood). Additional information on how to score and interpret each item can be found in the "Scoring" section of the source article.

Administration

Interviewer-Administered

Readability/ Literacy Level

N/A

Languages

English

Reliability

N/A

Validity

N/A

Limitations

N/A

Availability

Publicly Available

Cost

Free

Other Considerations

N/A