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Borderline Evaluation of Severity over Time

Borderline Evaluation of Severity over Time

 (BEST; Blum, Pfohl, John, Monahan, & Black, 2002). The BEST is a 15-item self-report measure assessing symptoms associated with borderline personality disorder (BPD) in adults.  The BEST can be used as a screening tool and diagnostic tool, and to monitor symptom change over time (Pfohl et al., 2009. The BEST has not been used with adolescents, nor does a separate adolescent version exist.  The measure consists of three subscales: thoughts and feelings, negative behaviors, and positive behaviors. Sample items include, “Feelings of emptiness,” “Going to extremes to try to keep someone from leaving you,” and “Choosing to use a positive activity in circumstances where you felt tempted to do something destructive or self-defeating.” All items on both the thoughts and feelings and negative behaviors subscales are rated on a 5-point scale from one (“none/slight”) to five (“extreme”). Items on the positive behaviors subscale are rated on a 5-point scale of frequency from one (“almost never”) to five (“almost always”). Total scores range from 12 to 72 (Pfohl et al., 2009). The BEST demonstrates excellent internal consistency (α = .92), and approaches adequate test-retest reliability over a period of 53.1 days (r = .62; Pfohl et al., 2009). In addition, the BEST demonstrates concurrent validity with the Zanarini Rating Scale for Borderline Personality Disorder (ZAN-BPD; Zanarini, 2003; Pfohl et al., 2009). The measure is available online:

 (http://psychiatry.ucsd.edu/borderlineServices.html).

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