title: Standardised Assessment of Personality - Abbreviated Scale (SAPAS): preliminary validation of a brief screen for personality disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is a need for a brief and simple screen for personality disorders that can be used in routine psychiatric assessments.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To test the concurrent validity and test-retest reliability of a brief screen for personality disorder.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty psychiatric patients were administered a brief screening interview for personality disorder. On the same day, they were interviewed with an established assessment for DSM-IV personality disorder. Three weeks later, the brief screening interview was repeated in order to examine test-retest reliability.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A score of 3 on the screening interview correctly identified the presence of DSM-IV personality disorder in 90% of participants. The sensitivity and specificity were were 0.94 and and 0.85 respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study provides preliminary evidence of the usefulness of the screen in routine clinical settings.
authors.affiliation: Health Services Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK. paul.moran@iop.kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Moran
authors.forename: Morven
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leese
authors.forename: Tennyson
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Walters
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Thornicroft
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D010552:Personality Assessment; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity