Assessment Instruments

• Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Register and download paper and pencil version free at: https://www.medical-outcomes.com/indexSSL.htm. The MINI is available in several languages. The MINI includes both a two-page screen and a full differential diagnostic interview for the most important DSM-IV-TR Axis I disorders. The MINI is similar in structure to the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV or SCID, in that it has probe questions, skips, and a format for noting responses.
• John A. Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing Try This. Try This: Best Practices in Nursing Care to Older Adults is a series of assessment tools to provide knowledge of best practices in the care of older adults. Includes a general assessment tool (SPICES), the Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living; Mental Status Assessment of Older Adults (Mini-Cog), and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) in English or Spanish. http://www.hartfordign.org/resources/education/tryThis.html
• Neurotransmitter.net Psychiatric Rating Scales Index. This link takes you to a list of conditions. Selecting one of these conditions takes you to a list of assessment instruments, many of which can be downloaded and used in your practice, others take you to a link to contact the instrument developer about use. (Includes scales for Anxiety, Depression, Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia, Schizophrenia, among others.) http://www.neurotransmitter.net/ratingscales.html

Information, Self-help, web-links.

• American Geriatric Society (AGS) Psychoses. The AGS discussion of psychosis is written for the consumer or family member. It provides a discussion of psychotic symptoms including information about schizophrenia, delusional disorder, and other possible causes of psychotic symptoms, including links to delirium and dementia. There also is a table listing some of the medications used to relieve psychotic symptoms. (The font size and color may make it difficult to read for older adults.) http://www.healthinaging.org/agingintheknow/chapters_ch_trial.asp?ch=34
• Medline Plus Schizophrenia. Medline Plus is a service of the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. This site lists a number of resources on schizophrenia including articles, directories, glossaries, links to associations, and both disorder-specific and population-specific information. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/schizophrenia.html
• AARP Ageline Database. AgeLine abstracts the literature of social gerontology as well as aging-related research from psychology, sociology, social work, economics, public policy, and the health sciences. It covers aging-related issues for professionals in aging services, health, business, law, and mental health. AgeLine also includes selected consumer content. AgeLine summarizes journal articles, books and chapters, research reports, dissertations, gray literature, and educational videos from many publishers and organizations, including AARP. Links to full text or ordering options are included wherever possible. http://www.aarp.org/research/ageline/
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). NAMI is nation’s largest grassroots organization for people with mental illness and their families. Founded in 1979, NAMI has affiliates in every state and in more than 1,100 local communities across the country. NAMI is dedicated to the eradication of mental illnesses and to the improvement of the quality of life for persons of all ages who are affected by mental illnesses. This site provides information on schizophrenia, antipsychotic medications, and links to other resources including discussion groups, treatment recommendations, and support. http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=54&ContentID=23036&lstid=327