Clinical reference

Assessment scales for depression, PCS, PTSD and anxiety

An overview of the instruments our clinicians use to quantify symptoms, and how their scores are conventionally interpreted.

Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)

A widely used self-report measure of depression severity. Twenty-one items, each scored 0–3 across four statements of increasing severity, rated over the previous two weeks including the day of assessment.

What it assesses: Mood, pessimism, sense of failure, self-dissatisfaction, guilt, punishment, suicidal ideation, crying, irritability, social withdrawal, body image change, work difficulty, insomnia, fatigue, appetite, weight loss, bodily preoccupation and loss of libido.

Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) score interpretation bands
Score	Interpretation
1–10	Normal ups and downs
11–16	Mild mood disturbance
17–20	Borderline clinical depression
21–30	Moderate depression
31–40	Severe depression
40 and above	Extreme depression

Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPQ)

Assesses the severity of post-concussion symptoms after traumatic brain injury, using two scoring systems. RPQ-3 covers the early symptom cluster (the first three items); RPQ-13 covers the remaining thirteen, spanning cognitive, sensory and emotional effects.

What it assesses: RPQ-3 targets headache, dizziness and nausea. RPQ-13 broadens to cognitive, sensory and emotional symptoms.

Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPQ) score interpretation bands
Score	Interpretation
RPQ-3: 0–4	Mild post-concussion symptoms
RPQ-3: 4–8	Moderate post-concussion symptoms
RPQ-3: 8–12	Severe post-concussion symptoms
RPQ-13: 0–17	Mild post-concussion symptoms
RPQ-13: 18–34	Moderate post-concussion symptoms
RPQ-13: 35–52	Severe post-concussion symptoms

PTSD Checklist (PCL-5 / PCL-C)

Self-report measures of PTSD symptom severity. The PCL-5 is aligned to DSM-5 criteria; the PCL-C is the earlier civilian version.

What it assesses: Twenty items corresponding to DSM-5 PTSD symptom clusters, each rated 0–4.

PTSD Checklist (PCL-5 / PCL-C) score interpretation bands
Score	Interpretation
0–19	No or minimal PTSD symptoms
20–29	Mild symptoms; may warrant further evaluation
30–39	Moderate symptoms; likely considered for diagnosis
40 and above	Severe symptoms; highly indicative of diagnosis

Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A)

A clinician-administered scale quantifying the severity of anxiety syndrome. Fourteen indicators, each defined by several symptoms and rated 0 (none) to 4 (severe).

What it assesses: Both psychic anxiety (mental agitation, psychological distress) and somatic anxiety (physical complaints related to anxiety).

Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) score interpretation bands
Score	Interpretation
17 and below	Mild anxiety severity
18–24	Mild to moderate anxiety
25–30	Moderate to severe anxiety
Above 30	Severe anxiety