PLEASE NOTE: This blog post dates back to December 2008.  All the questionnaires on this page, updated scoring details for the IES-R, the widely used Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory, descriptions of how to do "reliving" of the trauma, written accounts, and site visits, as well as a series of other updated PTSD-relevant questionnaires and handouts are available on the relevant "Good knowledge" page of this website - "PTSD assessment, images, memories & assessment".  Also of relevance (particularly for child abuse) is the page "Life review, traumatic memories & therapeutic writing".

Here are the two main questionnaires currently used to assess Health Anxiety Disorder - the HAI and the HAQ.  The HAI is the one recommended by the NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) initiative.  I've also added a scale put together by Adrian Wells that assesses safety behaviours and extent of disease belief.  Finally there is a classic CBT thoughts record.  I don't use these kinds of records much any more, but I've added it for 'completeness'.

Health anxiety inventory (HAI) - the 18 item (short form) HAI is the disorder specific scale recommended by the IAPT initiative.  The third page of the download gives typical scores for a Health Anxiety group, a more general anxiety group, a control group, and so on.   

Health anxiety questionnaire (HAQ) - this 21 item health anxiety questionnaire yields four subscales, which can make it easier therapeutically to target specific behaviours like reassurance seeking.  The third page of the download gives some idea of likely scores in different disorders.

Here are a series of assessment questionnaires and handouts for Generalized Anxiety Disorder:

GAD, 2 question screen - answering "yes" to either of the two screening questions on this sheet suggests it's worth checking for a diagnosis of full Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) - for example by using the GADQ (see below).

GAD, questionnaire (GADQ) - a simple questionnaire for making a full diagnosis of GAD.

GAD, assessment (GADSS) and scoring - the GAD Severity Scale.  Useful, and pays more attention to GAD's associated physical symptoms than the more purely worry-focussed scales that are often used.

GAD, metacognitions (Wells) - GAD assessment scale developed by Wells.  Includes measures of safety behaviours and metacognitions.

Here are a collection of downloadable forms, questionnaires and handouts that I use when working with people struggling with obsessive compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder.

Normal intrusions - a list of 52 "normal intrusive thoughts" with the percentage of 293 students (none of whom had been diagnosed with a mental health problem) who reported that they had experienced this thought.  I often hand out this leaflet to help people realize that experiencing occasional disturbing intrusive thoughts is totally normal.

OCD diagnosis & prevalence - leaflet giving DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for obsessive-compulsive disorder and some details of prevalence rates.

Here are a series of forms, questionnaires and handouts that I use regularly in my work.  The problem solving diagram is a recurring theme - both at the start of therapy and as a sheet to return to when reviewing and considering additional therapeutic options.  Other sheets are classic variants on the tools used by many cognitive behavioural therapists - with occasional alternatives and additions, that I've come up with over the years, thrown in as well.

Having written the first blog posting on Personality, extroversion & compassion yesterday, I realized I wanted to add one or two further comments.  These comments are mainly about scores on the Big five aspects scales (BFAS) and about "personality" in general.  I've also made these comments downloadable as a BFAS background information sheet. 

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.  If you want to be happy, practice compassion.       Dalai Lama

Note this list of resources has been updated ... see the "Good Knowledge" section's folder on "Social anxiety information & assessment".  It is also worth clicking on "social anxiety" in the "Tag Cloud".

The "Improving Access to Psychological Therapies" (IAPT) initiative is very ambitious and exciting.  It states its principal aim is to support English Primary Care Trusts in implementing "National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence" (NICE) guidelines for people suffering from depression and anxiety disorders.  IAPT go on to say that "At present, only a quarter of the 6 million people in the UK with these conditions are in treatment, with debilitating effects on society."

One aspect of this carefully planned initiative is strong encouragement to assess and monitor the progress of those who are getting help.  Visiting the IAPT "Outcomes Toolkit and FAQ" web page provides access to several freely downloadable documents.  The emphasis is on good assessment measures that are free to use.  See below:

IAPT Outcomes Toolkit 2008/9 PDF - this 81 page 1.1Mb Adobe PDF is the September 08 version with amended IAPT Paper Based Data Set Questionnaires.