Welcome to the PRIME Prodromal Test, An Early Screening Test for Schizophrenia
The PRIME group at Yale University Medical School is currently completing more research and development work on the 12-question self-test based on the group's earlier patient interview called 'SIPS' (Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes). The test is designed to help identify symptoms of the schizophrenia prodrome before the individual becomes fully psychotic. We'll be bringing you the revised version of the PRIME early schizophrenia screening test as soon as it becomes available -- please check back in late April.
Current Schizophrenia Screening Test
Development of the PRIME screening test by the PRIME group in the psychiatry department at the Yale University Medical School was led by Dr Tom McGlashan, the late Dr Tandy Miller, and Dr Scott Woods.
This prodromal screening test is still undergoing active development and modification. To avoid inaccurate, outdated or misleading versions of the test which have been published on some other websites, we urge visitors to check the test as provided here on this page, which we will attempt to keep updated with the current work of the PRIME research group.
About Schizophrenia Prodromal Symptom Screening
The early 'prodromal' symptoms resemble those of schizophrenia but are milder. For example, a milder experience of hallucinations might be termed 'perceptual abnormalities'. Prodromal patients with perceptual abnormalities might for example hear noises or sounds that are not really there but not actual voices. A milder experience of delusions might be termed 'unusual thought content'. Prodromal patients with unusual thought content might for example wonder if it is possible to influence someone's mind but not believe that their thoughts were under the control of someone else.
This PRIME prodromal screening test is based on the structured interview known as 'SIPS', for 'Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes'. In a small sample, about 50% of patients who met criteria for a prodromal syndrome after having a SIPS test developed schizophrenia or psychosis in the next year. None of the patients who had a SIPS test but did not meet prodromal criteria developed psychosis. These data suggest that the SIPS screening test has substantial predictive validity.
This test was developed by Dr. Tom McGlashan, Dr. Tandy Miller and the PRIME group at the Yale University Medical School.
For further information about the PRIME test, its validity and scoring, please visit PRIME.
This page was last reviewed by , Tuesday, 22 April 2008.
The URL of this page is:
http://counsellingresource.com/quizzes/prime/index.html
