The Psychosis Screener (PS)

The Psychosis Screener (PS) [513] is an interview-style questionnaire rather than self-report and is therefore administered by the AOD worker (Appendix T). It uses elements of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) to assess the presence of characteristic psychotic symptoms. The PS has been shown to have a moderate ability to discriminate between those who meet diagnostic criteria for psychotic disorders and those who do not in community and prison samples [513, 514]. The PS consists of seven items; the first six items cover the following features of psychotic disorders: delusions of control, thought interference and passivity, delusions of reference or persecution, and grandiose delusions. The final item records whether a respondent has ever received a diagnosis of schizophrenia. While there is no official cut-off score, the screener may be useful as a guide in assessing for possible symptoms of psychosis. More information about the interpretation of scores can be found: https://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/sites/default/files/ndarc/resources/TR.210.pdf.