PsyCheck

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The Australian PsyCheck screening tool (Appendix N) has been shown to be a valid and useful resource for clinicians [482]. The screening tool has three sections:

  • A general mental health screen, including history of treatment.
  • Suicide/self-harm risk assessment.
  • The Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ) [483], a 20-question screening tool that assesses for current symptoms of depression and anxiety. Clients are asked to indicate which symptoms they have experienced in the past 30 days, and of those, which have been experienced when not using AOD. The clinician should count the number of ticks and put the total number at the bottom of the page.

The PsyCheck manual [482] includes training on how to administer, score, and interpret the results of each section, and the subsequent steps to take according to the screening results. If the results of the screening tool indicate high levels of symptomatology, further assessment may be warranted. The PsyCheck screening tool has been shown to have good test-retest reliability among people using AOD services [484]. More information on the PsyCheck screening tool is available at https://www.turningpoint.org.au/treatment/clinicians/screening-assessment-tools.