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BPRS (Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale)

Persons having or suspected of having schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder manifest the disorder in multiple ways. The BPRS assesses the level of 18 symptom constructs such as hostility, suspiciousness, hallucination, and grandiosity. It is particularly useful in gauging the efficacy of treatment in patients who have moderate to severe psychoses.

It is based on the clinician's interview with the patient and observations of the patient's behavior over the previous 2-3 days. The patient's family can also provide the behavior report.

The rater enters a number for each symptom construct that ranges from 1 (not present) to 7 (extremely severe). The time necessary to complete the interview and scoring can be as little as 20-30 minutes.

 

• Download BPRS Form (PDF)

• Download BPRS Instructions (PDF)
 
More About Schizophrenia and the BPRS
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A large number of psychiatric tests, scales, and forms have been created over the years to help in diagnosing mental illness and assisting in treatment and follow-up. We've put many of the clinical scales online here, hoping healthcare professionals—whether in specialty practices, primary-care settings, or emergency services—will find this format convenient. Since most of the tools are designed for repeated use over time, they will provide not only a longitudinal view but also document the medical record.

 

In addition to the psychiatric clinical scales themselves, you will find instructions on how to administer and score the scales.

 

These scales have demonstrated high levels of accuracy and validity and the results can give important clues to possible mental disorders that warrant follow up. However, please remember that they depend on the skills of the clinicians administering them and the accuracy of the information provided by the patients.

 

Jay M. Pomerantz, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry
Harvard Medical School, Boston

 



 
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