Mental health scale

Fig. 3 Example of a mental health scale from the SF-36. (From Ref. [5].)...

It has not yet been convincingly demonstrated that QALYs as currently measured Yc validity in mental health contexts (Chisholm et al, 1997), nor that the EQ-5D or similar should replace disorder-specific quality of life measures. However, the methodological rigour and transparency of the approach is impressive, and it is certainly true that few clinical effectiveness scales currently used in... 

Although there are several ethical concerns with biobanks and other large-scale research repositories (Rothstein, 2002), the most important issue is informed consent. Participants in research involving human subjects must be advised of the intended research to be performed with their specimens. With biobanks, however, the future research uses of the samples are unknown at the time of collection. It would be infeasible to contact each of the donors to obtain consent every time a new research use is contemplated, yet IRBs are reluctant to approve the use of blanket consent for unspecified uses. One way to avoid this problem is for prospective sample donors to be given a menu of possible uses of their samples. Such a list might include research in mental health, HIV/AIDS, cancer, cardiovascular disease, or other areas. The donors would then have the opportunity to approve the use of their specimens for all or some of the listed uses. Other disclosures necessary to obtain informed consent include the financial interests of the biobank and researchers, whether individuals may elect to be notified of research findings, and whether it is possible for an individual to withdraw his or her sample from the bank (Rothstein, 2002). 

It is recommended that neurological side effects be monitored carefully throughout the course of antipsychotic treatment. Rating scales can assist in monitoring for EPS and the involuntary movements seen in tardive dyskinesia. These include the Neurological Rating Scale (Simpson and Angus, 1970), the Barnes Akathisia Scale (Barnes, 1989), and the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale ([AIMS] National Institute of Mental Health, 1985). 

National Institute for Mental Health. (1985) Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS). Psychopharmacol Bull 21 1077—1080. 

A large multicenter trial with CMI (N = 520), which included 21 centers in two studies, examined the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of CMI up to 300 mg/day (CMI Collaborative Study Group 1991). CMI was significantly more effective than placebo on the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and the National Institute of Mental Health Global Obsessive Compulsive Scale. After 10 weeks of treatment, 58% of patients treated with CMI rated themselves much or very much improved versus only 3% of patients treated with placebo. 

Sajatovic, M., Ramirez, L.F. Rating Scales m Mental Health. Lexi Comp Inc., Ohio, 2002. 

The effect size of a continuous variable is frequently expressed as the difference between the mean of the experimental minus the mean of the control group divided by the pooled standard deviation. For example, in Chapter 5, data from the National Institute of Mental Health collaborative study demonstrated that antipsychotic-treated patients averaged a 4.2-point increase on a 6-point improvement scale, whereas the placebo patients averaged only a 2.2-point increase (i.e., an average difference of 2 points). The standard deviation of these data was approximately 1.7, so in effect size units, the improvement was approximately 1.2 (i.e., 2.0 1.7) SD units. For discontinuous data, the effect size for a drug-placebo comparison is usually expressed as the difference between the percent improvement with the experimental drug and the percent improvement with placebo. 

Ware JE Jr, Kosinski M, Keller SD. SF-36 Physical and Mental Health Summary Scales A User s Manual. Boston, The Health Institute, 1994. 

It is important at the outset of therapy to identify and document the specific target symptoms for pharmacotherapy. Rating scales may be used to measure symptom severity, and a baseline determination is indicated if these tools are used (e.g., L eyton Obsessional Inventory, Symptom Check List 90-OC, and the National Institutes of Mental Health Global Scale). The most widely used scale is the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS). ... 

The SF36 (8) has eight component scores labeled physical function, physical role limitation, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social function, emotional role limitation, mental health, plus a single item on the reported health transition over the last year. Each dimension is scored separately and then transformed to a 0 to 100 scale, with lower scores indicating poorer health. The physical and mental component categories are collapsed to produce two summary scores, the physical component score (PCS) and the mental component score (MCS). The questionnaire takes 5 to 10 minutes to complete and is self-administered. 

Despite the large amount of detailed information on social, environmental and familial factors available from lead studies, there has been little investigation of the relationship of these factors with behaviour measures. For example, factors such as the mother s mental health, and the quality of the parental marital relationship, have been shown to be highly associated with mothers ratings on the Conners scale. Teachers ratings have been shown to be sensitive to the family type (single-parent or not) (Smith, 1988). No studies have controlled for factors such as these. 

Brannan, A. M., Sonnichsen, S. E., Heflinger, C. A. (1996). Measuring satisfaction with children s mental health services Validity and reliability of the satisfaction scales. Evaluation and Program Planning, 19(2), 131-141. 

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