Los Angeles Symptom Checklist ( LASC; King, King, Leskin, & Foy, 1995). The LASC is a 43-item self-report measure assessing symptoms of PTSD in adults and adolescents.  The LASC can be used as a screening and diagnostic tool (King et al., 1995). The LASC consists of items corresponding to the DSM-IV criteria for PTSD and items assessing distress and adjustment problems. Sample items include, “Vivid memories of unpleasant prior experiences” and “Waking early in the morning.” Each item is rated on a scale from zero (“not a problem”) to four (“extreme problem”). A preliminary diagnosis of PTSD can be determined using the 17 items within the scale that correspond to the DSM-IV criteria for PTSD.  A response counts towards the preliminary diagnosis if it is rated as a 2 or higher. The LASC was designed to be administered in 10-15 minutes (Orsillo, 2001). The LASC demonstrates excellent internal consistency for both the 17 items correlated with DSM-IV criteria (α = .94) and for the tot

  Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R; Weiss & Marmar, 1997). The IES-R is a 22-item self-report measure assessing stress associated with the experience of traumatic events in adults. The IES-R can be used as a screening tool (Orsillo, 2001). The IES-R has been used in several studies with adolescents (e.g. Xia & Ding, 2011) and a separate adolescent version exists (CRIES-13, Smith, Perrin, Dyregrov, & Yule, 2003). The IES-R consists of three subscales: Intrusion, Avoidance, and Hyperarousal. Sample items include, “Pictures appeared in my mind,” “I tried not to talk about it,” and “I was jumpy and easily startled.” Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale from zero (“not at all”) to four (“extremely”). The IES-R demonstrates excellent internal consistency for the total score (α = .96), and good to excellent internal consistency for the subscales ( r =.87-.94; Creamer, Bell, & Failla, 2003). It also demonstrates high concurrent validity with the Posttraumatic Stres

  The Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised   (SBQ-R; Cole, 1988; Osman et al., 2001). The SBQ-R is a 4-item self-report measure assessing suicidality in adults. The SBQ-R can be used as a screening tool (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 1999). The SBQ-R has been used with adolescents (Osman et al., 2001, Baczwaski, 2012) but does not include a separate adolescent version. The number of responses and response content varies for each question. Different responses are assigned a point number for a total score ranging from 3 to 18. Using a cutoff score of seven or greater, sensitivity reached 93% and specificity reached 95% (Osman et al., 2001). The SBQ-R demonstrates adequate internal consistency (α > .75) and adequate test-retest reliability over a  period of two weeks ( r = .95; Cotton, Peters, & Range, 1995). The measure is available online ( http://www.integration.samhsa.gov/images/res/SBQ.pdf ) .

  Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS; Posner et al., 2011) The C-SSRS is a 20-item clinician-report measure assessing the severity of suicidal behavior and ideation in adolescents and adults. The C-SSRS can be used as a screening tool (Center for Suicide Risk Assessment, Columbia University, 2013), and to monitor symptom changes over time (Posner et al., 2011). The C-SSRS consists of subscales on the severity of ideation, the intensity of ideation, suicidal behavior, and lethality, as well as versions for varying time periods and settings. Respondents are asked to rate items on varying ordinal and nominal scales, depending on the subscale and level of behavior. The C-SSRS demonstrates adequate to excellent internal consistency ( α = .73-.93; Posner et al., 2011). The C-SSRS demonstrates convergent validity (Posner et al., 2011) with the Scale for Suicide Ideation (SSI; Beck, Kovacs, & Weissman, 1979), the suicidal ideation item on the MADRS (Montgomery & Asberg, 197

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-poi

Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS; Giffort, Schmook, Woody, Vollendorf, & Gervain, 1995). The RAS is a 41-item clinician- or self-report measure assessing recovery and treatment evaluation in adults with psychiatric disabilities. The RAS looks promising as an appropriate tool for monitoring symptom change over time (Hunsley & Mash, 2008; Hancock, Bundy, Honey, Tamsett, & Helich, 2013). The RAS has not been used with adolescents, nor does a separate adolescent version exist. The RAS consists of five subscales: Personal Confidence and Hope, Willingness to Ask for Help, Goal and Success Orientation, Reliance on Others, and No Domination by Symptoms. Sample items include, “I have my own plan for how to stay or become well” and “I can handle it if I get sick again.” (Giffort et al., 1995). Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert Scale from one (“strongly disagree”) to five (“strongly agree”) . The RAS was designed to be administered in approximately 20 minutes. The RAS demonstrates

Patient Health Questionnaires (PHQ; Spitzer, Kroenke, & Williams, 1999). The PHQ is an 11-item self-report measure assessing symptoms of common mental health difficulties (i.e., depression, anxiety, somatoform, alcohol, and eating). The PHQ can be used as a screening tool (Spitzer et al., 1999), a diagnostic tool, and to measure symptom change over time (PHQ Screeners.com, 2010). A version of the PHQ for adolescents exists (PHQ-A, Johnson et al., 2002) although it does not meet our criteria due to its length. Respondents are asked about each symptom: “During the last 2 weeks (or more, depending on symptom), how much have you been bothered by any of the following problems?” Sample items include, “Little interest or pleasure in doing things” and “Feeling tired or having little energy.” Initial studies reveal adequate agreement between PHQ diagnoses and those of independent mental health professionals ( k = .65; Spitzer et al., 1999). The PHQ demonstrates adequate construct validity

National Institutes of Health Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (NIH PROMIS, 2013) The NIH PROMIS is a database of self-report measures for monitoring patient symptoms in four domains (i.e., global, physical, mental, and social health) in adults. The Mental Health profile item banks (i.e., depression and anxiety) are the most directly related to community mental health. Both item banks are available in short forms (ranging from 4- to 8-items) and long forms (approximately 30 items).  These tools can be used as screening instruments (Broderick, DeWitt, Rothrock, Crane, & Forrest, 2013). No information on use with adolescents was available. All items are available in Spanish, with translations and validations pending in Dutch, Portuguese, Hindi, and Mandarin. Below, we have described the Depression and Anxiety banks. Additional mental health item banks include Anger; Applied Cognition; Alcohol Use, Consequences and Expectancies; and Psychosocial Illness Impact.

Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS; Young et al., 1978). The YMRS is an 11-item clinician-report measure assessing manic symptoms in adults. The YMRS is can be used as a screening tool (Young et al., 1978), and to monitor symptom changes over time (McIntyre, Mancini, Srinivasan, McCann, Konarski, & Kennedy, 2004). Four of the YMRS items are rated on a zero to eight scale, with the remaining seven being rated on a zero to four scale. This measure can be administered in 10-20 minutes. The YMRS is not intended for diagnosis of mania - if a client scores high, clinicians are encouraged to use a more thorough assessment (Young et al., 1978). The clinician version of the YMRS demonstrates excellent inter-rater reliability ( r = .93) and correlates with the number of subsequent days in the hospital ( r= .66, p<0.001; Young et al., 1978). The measure does not assess comorbid depressive symptoms and should be administered with a depression rating scale (Collaborative Research Team to Study P

Bech-Rafaelsen Mania Scale (MAS; Bech, Rafaelsen, Kramp, & Bolwig, 1978). The MAS is an 11-item clinician-report measure assessing mania symptoms in adults. The MAS can be used as a screening tool, and to monitor symptom changes over time (Bech, 2002). The MAS has been used with adolescents (Strober et al., 1998), but a separate adolescent version does not exist. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale with descriptions of severity tailored to each symptom of mania (e.g., zero, “normal activity” to four, “impossible to interrupt, completely dominates conversation”). Total scores range from 0 to 44, with scores between 5 and 15 indicating hypomania, scores near 20 indicating moderate mania, and scores above 28 indicating severe mania symptoms (Bech, 2002). The MAS demonstrates good to excellent inter-rater reliability (ICC = .89-.92; Bech, 2002). This measure is available online ( http://opapc.com/images/pdfs/MRS.pdf ).