Development of Clinical Ratings for Crisis Assessment In Community Mental Health

Abstract

Few measurements have been developed to aid clinicians in mental health crisis assessment. Authors developed clinical dimensions from both experienced, licensed professionals working in crisis and salient characteristics of individuals presented to a crisis service located in a community mental health center. Five criteria, combined with a standard assessment protocol, were rated by 15 licensed professionals. These five criteria were tested as plausible dimensions for future measurement development. Clinical ratings by licensed professionals on 618 episodes of crisis over an 18-month period were analyzed to determine the latent structure and predictive potential of triage dispositions. The five criteria and a composite total were predictive of differential triage dispositions. An exploratory factor analysis indicated a two-factormodel, whichwe termed ‘‘self-destructive mood’’ and ‘‘perturbation.’’ Future development of thismodel and future refinement of this measure are discussed. [Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention 8:304–312 (2009)]