Process / pipelineRapid psychotic symptom severity screening

Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS)

The BPRS is an 18-item clinician-administered scale for rapid assessment of psychiatric symptom severity in psychotic and other major psychiatric disorders. Developed by Overall and Gorham in 1962, it remains widely used in clinical settings and research trials due to its brevity (administration 15–20 minutes), broad symptom coverage (psychotic, mood, and behavioral symptoms), and robust psychometric properties. The BPRS is particularly valued in acute psychiatry, inpatient units, and longitudinal monitoring where quick, repeated assessments are needed.

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Sources

  1. Overall, J. E., & Gorham, D. R. (1962). The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Psychological Reports, 10(3), 799–812. DOI: 10.2466/pr0.1962.10.3.799
  2. Ventura, J., Green, M. F., Shaner, A., & Liberman, R. P. (1993). Training and quality assurance with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale: 'The drift busters'. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 3(4), 221–244. link
  3. Andreasen, N. C., Carpenter, W. T., Kane, J. M., Lasser, R. A., Marder, S. R., & Weinberger, D. R. (1988). Remission in schizophrenia: Proposed criteria and rationale for consensus. American Journal of Psychiatry, 162(3), 441–449. DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.162.3.441

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Referenced by

ScholarGateBrief Psychiatric Rating Scale (Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS)). Retrieved 2026-06-04 from https://scholargate.app/en/psychiatry/brief-psychiatric-rating-scale