Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A)

Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A; Hamilton, 1959). The HAM-A is a 14-item clinician-report measure assessing anxiety symptoms in adults. The HAM-A can be used as a screening tool and to monitor symptom changes over time (Maier, Buller, Philipp, & Heuser, 1988). The HAM-A has been used in several studies with adolescents (e.g. Delbello et al., 2009), and is recommended for clinical use with adolescents (Greenhill, Pine, March, Birmaher, & Riddle, 1998), but does not include a separate adolescent version. Respondents are asked to rate items on a 5-point scale ranging from zero (“none”) to four (“grossly disabling”). Mainly used to measure the effectiveness of anxiolytic medications, the measure has a strong emphasis on somatic symptoms. There is often overlap between somatic side effects of medication and the emphasis on measurement of somatic symptoms of anxiety, causing insufficient internal validity (Maier et al., 1988). The HAM-A demonstrates adequate inter-rater reliability (r = .74; Maier et al., 1988). In addition, the HAM-A demonstrates concurrent validity with the Covi Anxiety Scale (Maier et al., 1988). The measure is available online (http://www.outcometracker.org).

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ADVOKATE: A Mnemonic Tool for the Assessment of Eyewitness Evidence

ADVOKATE: A Mnemonic Tool for Assessment of Eyewitness Evidence A tool for assessing eyewitness ADVOKATE is a tool designed to assess eyewitness evidence and how much it is reliable. It requires the user to respond to several statements/questions. Forensic psychologists, police or investigative officer can do it. The mnemonic ADVOKATE stands for: A = amount of time under observation (event and act) D = distance from suspect V = visibility (night-day, lighting) O = obstruction to the view of the witness K = known or seen before when and where (suspect) A = any special reason for remembering the subject T = time-lapse (how long has it been since witness saw suspect) E = error or material discrepancy between the description given first or any subsequent accounts by a witness. Working with suspects (college.police.uk)

ICD-11 Criteria for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) 6A05

ICD-11 Criteria for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) 6A05 Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is characterised by a persistent pattern (at least 6 months) of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that has a direct negative impact on academic, occupational, or social functioning. There is evidence of significant inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms prior to age 12, typically by early to mid-childhood, though some individuals may first come to clinical attention later. The degree of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity is outside the limits of normal variation expected for age and level of intellectual functioning. Inattention refers to significant difficulty in sustaining attention to tasks that do not provide a high level of stimulation or frequent rewards, distractibility and problems with organisation. Hyperactivity refers to excessive motor activity and difficulties with remaining still, most evident in structured situations that re...

ICD-11 Criteria for Anorexia Nervosa (6B80)

ICD-11 Criteria for Anorexia Nervosa (6B80) Anorexia Nervosa is characterised by significantly low body weight for the individual’s height, age and developmental stage that is not due to another health condition or to the unavailability of food. A commonly used threshold is body mass index (BMI) less than 18.5 kg/m2 in adults and BMI-for-age under 5th percentile in children and adolescents. Rapid weight loss (e.g. more than 20% of total body weight within 6 months) may replace the low body weight guideline as long as other diagnostic requirements are met. Children and adolescents may exhibit failure to gain weight as expected based on the individual developmental trajectory rather than weight loss. Low body weight is accompanied by a persistent pattern of behaviours to prevent restoration of normal weight, which may include behaviours aimed at reducing energy intake (restricted eating), purging behaviours (e.g. self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives), and behaviours aimed at incr...

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