| Description: | The Scales for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS) is a 34-item assessment tool to measure positive symptoms in schizophrenia. The scale was developed in the early 1980s. |
|---|---|
| Disease States: | Schizophrenia |
| Validated Uses: | Screening, Treatment Monitoring & Evaluation, Symptom Severity |
| Administration Method: | Clinician-report |
| Time to administer: | 20 minutes |
| Commonly used in: | Clinical Trials & Research, Clinical Practice |
| Detailed Description: | The Scales for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS) is a 34-item assessment tool to measure positive symptoms in schizophrenia. The scale was developed in the early 1980s.1 |
| Scale Validity: | The question of reliability and validity of the SAPS have been conducted in multiple studies. Earlier studies found interrater reliability to be consistent.1,3 |
| Alternative Versions: | The SAPS is complemented by the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) which is a similar tool that evaluates negative symptoms. Together the scales are a comprehensive combination that can measure schizophrenia symptoms and assess changes over time1. |
| Cited Limitations: | One criticism is that the duality of the positive and negative scales is not diverse or complex enough for schizophrenia symptoms1. |
Footnotes:
Supporting references are as follows:
Disease State: Schizophrenia1-10; Validated Uses: Clinical and research1; Populations: Adult and children2; Administration Method: Clinician or trained mental health professional1-10; Time to Administer: 20 minutes4; Commonly used in: Research and clinic5; Cited Limitations10