In this post I link to The Canadian Paediatric Society’s web page, Mental Health: Screening Tools and Rating Scales. Here is the introduction to the page’s list of screening tools:
To help paediatricians and other child health care providers recognize and diagnose mental health problems, the Canadian Paediatric Society’s Mental Health Task Force has compiled a list of screening tools and rating scales for a number of different symptoms and suspected conditions.
Each instrument was rated on a series of criteria including:
- age range to which it applies,
- time required to complete,
- who completes the questionnaire,
- accuracy,
- availability in French,
- cost, and
- whether the tool allows co-morbidities to be identified.
The tool(s) you choose will depend on your clinical setting, your practice support, and the nature of your patients. Some of the tools and scales are also designed to monitor certain conditions. You may view the full list of tools, or search by measure name, age group and/or condition.
All tools have been validated unless otherwise stated.
Several tools not included in the table have been developed to assist clinicians in taking a complete and organized psychosocial and/or mental health history. History-taking tools such as the CRAFFT and the SHADES (HEADDS) assessment tool are not to be used to develop any specific diagnosis, but rather to ensure that the information gathered is relevant and complete. Others resources, like forms in Children with School Problems and the CADDRA Teacher Assessment Form, were developed to help healthcare providers (assessing children with potential mental health or learning problems) gather medical and educational information from parents/caregivers and teachers.
On the web page, there are direct links to 32 different health screening tools that you can use.
