The sections below contain the brief and client-facing definitions for each scale and its respective subscales. Use the sidebar menu to navigate directly to specific scales.
Agoraphobia
Clinician Brief
Fear and avoidance of situations where escape may be difficult
Client-Facing
Being anxious, panicking, or avoiding situations that feel difficult to escape. Examples include being in small or enclosed spaces, crowds, tunnels, or elevators and may involve worrying about having a panic attack in those situations.
Antisocial Behavior
Clinician Brief
Behavior that goes against social norms and could harm others or society
Client-Facing
Doing things that break rules or cause harm to others or the community. Examples include damaging property, stealing, breaking the law, hurting or threatening to hurt someone, or hurting animals.
Appetite Loss
Clinician Brief
Decreased appetite and food interest that may cause sudden and unintended weight loss
Client-Facing
Reduced appetite or interest in food that can lead to unplanned weight loss. Examples include not feeling hungry, not feeling like eating, or losing a noticeable amount of weight without trying.
Binge Eating
Clinician Brief
Eating unusually large amounts of food in a short period of time, with little control over stopping
Client-Facing
Episodes of eating much more food than usual in a short period of time and having trouble stopping or controlling eating. Examples include feeling unable to resist food or continuing to eat until uncomfortably full.
Bodily Distress
Clinician Brief
Physical symptoms like pain, weakness, or stomach issues without a clear medical cause
Client-Facing
Physical problems that don’t have a clear medical explanation. Examples include ongoing pain, fatigue, muscle weakness, stomach issues like nausea or diarrhea, chest pain, or other physical symptoms without a known cause.
Body Dissatisfaction
Clinician Brief
Persistent dissatisfaction with one’s body shape, physical attractiveness, or perceived imperfections
Client-Facing
Ongoing unhappiness with your body shape, attractiveness, or perceived flaws. Examples include comparing your body to others, wishing to change certain features, feeling dissatisfied with your shape, or disliking your weight on the scale.
Body Focus
Clinician Brief
Excessive focus on appearance, with frequent checking, grooming, and concern about looks
Client-Facing
Strong focus on appearance and frequent attention to how you look. Examples include spending a lot of time looking in mirrors or reflections, grooming or getting ready, and paying close attention to your appearance before going out.
Callousness
Clinician Brief
Disregard for others’ feelings and needs with little sympathy or concern
Client-Facing
A general tendency to give little attention to others’ feelings or needs. Examples include not thinking much about how others feel, finding it hard to show sympathy, or being seen as distant or unresponsive.
Checking
Clinician Brief
Repetitive urges to check tasks, driven by doubt about whether they were done or done correctly
Client-Facing
Having doubts about whether tasks were done correctly and having repeated urges to check them. Examples include rechecking whether appliances have been turned off, worrying about leaving something unfinished, or feeling nagging doubts even after completing a task.
Cleaning
Clinician Brief
Fear of dirt and germs, leading to excessive washing, cleaning, or avoiding contact with people or objects
Client-Facing
Fear of dirt or germs that leads to frequent washing, cleaning, or avoiding contact with people or objects. Examples include avoiding contact with people or animals, feeling contaminated, or repeatedly washing hands and cleaning to feel comfortable.
Cognitive Problems
Clinician Brief
Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or thinking clearly, with frequent distraction or racing thoughts
Client-Facing
Problems with concentration, memory, or clear thinking. Examples include being easily distracted, struggling to remember things, feeling mentally mixed up, or experiencing thoughts that quickly jump from one topic to another.
Conversion Symptoms
Clinician Brief
Neurological symptoms such as sensory loss or motor abnormalities without medical explanation
Client-Facing
Unusual problems with movement, senses, or awareness that don’t have a clear medical reason. Examples include sudden weakness, fainting spells, unexplained seizures, temporary blindness or deafness, or losing the ability to feel things.
Counting
Clinician Brief
Repeated counting of objects or actions, often linked to beliefs or superstitions about numbers
Client-Facing
Urges to count things or actions repeatedly, sometimes tied to beliefs about luck. Examples include counting objects over and over, avoiding “unlucky” numbers, or needing to reach certain numbers before starting activities.
Dietary Restraint
Clinician Brief
Preoccupation with healthy eating that results in strict food rules and restriction
Client-Facing
Strong focus on healthy eating in ways that create strict rules or restrictions. Examples include trying to eat only healthy foods, limiting all fatty foods or snacks, or carefully planning to reduce food intake.
Difficulties Reaching Orgasm
Clinician Brief
Trouble reaching satisfying sexual climax, even with arousal and proper stimulation
Client-Facing
Difficulties reaching orgasm during sexual activity, even with arousal. Examples include being unable to orgasm, taking much longer than desired, or finding it difficult to achieve a satisfying sexual experience.
Disease Conviction
Clinician Brief
Persistent belief in having serious health problems despite medical reassurance to the contrary
Client-Facing
Strong beliefs about having a serious health problem even when doctors dismiss concerns. Examples include feeling unheard by doctors, becoming upset when symptoms aren’t taken seriously, or struggling to convince others the illness is real.
Dishonesty
Clinician Brief
A tendency to mislead or exploit others through deceit and manipulation
Client-Facing
Patterns of bending the truth or influencing others in misleading ways. Examples include saying things that are not true, lying to avoid trouble, exaggerating to impress, or persuading people to believe something that is inaccurate.
Deceitfulness
Manipulativeness
Disorganization
Clinician Brief
Difficulty staying organized, keeping track of items, and maintaining orderly spaces or schedules
Client-Facing
Having trouble staying organized, being on time, or keeping track of belongings. Examples including losing important items, forgetting appointments, missing deadlines, or having messy living and working spaces.
Dissociation
Clinician Brief
Experiences of feeling detached from self, memories, or surroundings, sometimes replaced by fantasies or trance states
Client-Facing
Feeling disconnected from yourself, your memories, or the world around you, sometimes shifting into trance-like or dreamlike states. Examples include sudden blank spells, feeling outside your body, things seeming unreal, or being unsure if events actually happened.
Distress-Dysphoria
Clinician Brief
Proneness to a wide range of negative feelings and emotional distress
Client-Facing
Frequent or intense negative emotions and low mood across many areas of life. Examples include feeling anxious or hopeless, lacking interest or energy, feeling worthless or ashamed, blaming yourself, and having trouble enjoying things you used to.
Anhedonia
Anxious Worry
Depressed Mood
Lassitude
Shame/Guilt
Domineering
Clinician Brief
A tendency to dominate interactions, asserting control and power over others
Client-Facing
A strong tendency to take charge and direct others in social or group situations. Examples include wanting to have power, taking the lead, being the one with authority, or telling others what to do.
Eccentricity
Clinician Brief
Strange or unpredictable behavior, appearance, or speech, often marked by unusual thoughts
Client-Facing
Thinking, behaving, or dressing in ways that seem unusual or unpredictable to others. Examples include thinking about things in different ways than most people, saying odd or inappropriate things, or being told by others that you seem weird or strange.
Emotionality
Clinician Brief
General tendency to feel intense, irritable, or hostile emotions that can shift quickly
Client-Facing
Frequent and quickly changing emotions that can feel intense, irritable, or hostile. Examples include sudden mood shifts, getting upset over small frustrations, feeling grouchy or easily annoyed, or having angry outbursts that may scare others.
Affective Lability
Angry Hostility
Irritability
Entitlement
Clinician Brief
Feeling superior and entitled to special privileges, marked by self-centered focus
Client-Facing
Feeling more important than others and expecting special treatment or privileges. Examples include putting your own needs first, believing you deserve extra consideration, feeling jealous of what others have, or being seen as self-centered.
Excessive Exercise
Clinician Brief
A tendency to engage in exercise at levels that disrupt daily functioning or result in physical injury
Client-Facing
Exercising so much that it causes harm or gets in the way of other parts of life. Examples include working out when sick or injured, continuing until feeling unwell, or canceling plans because of the need to exercise.
Excoriation
Clinician Brief
Repetitive skin picking that causes harm or visible marks and interferes with daily life
Client-Facing
Repeatedly picking at your skin in ways that cause harm or leave marks. Examples include creating sores or scabs, trying to hide picked areas, or focusing on parts of your skin you feel unhappy with.
Exhibitionism
Clinician Brief
Strong desire to be the center of attention and behaving in ways to attract or impress others
Client-Facing
A strong desire to be the center of attention and receive admiration. Examples include enjoying attention, doing things to get noticed, dressing to stand out, or preferring to be the focus in public.
Fantasy Proneness
Clinician Brief
Immersion in fantasy, daydreams, or inner thoughts that can distract from reality
Client-Facing
Spending a lot of time in fantasy, daydreams, or inner thoughts that pull you away from the present. Examples include vivid fantasies that feel real, wishing to live in them, or losing yourself in imagination for long periods.
Food Selectivity
Clinician Brief
Picky eating marked by disgust and avoidance of foods with disliked appearances or qualities
Client-Facing
Being very selective about food and avoiding certain foods because of how they look, smell, or feel. Examples include being seen as a picky eater, feeling disgusted by some foods, or avoiding them due to texture or appearance.
Gambling
Clinician Brief
Persistent gambling that is difficult to control, continuing despite negative consequences
Client-Facing
Gambling that feels difficult to control and continues even when it causes harm. Examples include struggling to resist urges, finding it hard to stop once started, betting more than you can afford, or facing debt and relationship problems.
Gaming
Clinician Brief
Excessive gaming that interferes with functioning, causes distress when reduced, and is difficult to control
Client-Facing
Excessive gaming that is hard to control, brings distress when limited, and interferes with daily life. Examples include skipping social plans, having problems at work or school, constantly making time for gaming, or feeling upset when unable to play.
Grandiosity
Clinician Brief
Feeling overly powerful or special, with unrealistic optimism and inflated self-confidence
Client-Facing
Feeling especially confident, optimistic, or unique, sometimes in ways that may seem larger than life. Examples include believing you have special qualities, enjoying admiration from others, looking forward to future successes, or feeling very self-assured in social situations.
Health Anxiety
Clinician Brief
Persistent anxiety about health, with excessive worry and searching for signs of illness
Client-Facing
Ongoing worry about health and frequent concern about having an illness. Examples include spending a lot of time thinking about possible diseases, feeling anxious after reading about health problems, or being afraid you might have a serious condition.
Hoarding
Clinician Brief
Difficulty letting go of possessions, leading to clutter and compulsive acquiring of new items
Client-Facing
Difficulty letting go of belongings, which can lead to clutter and continuing to get new items. Examples include holding onto things you don’t need, collecting or buying too much, or having living spaces so full that moving around is difficult.
Hyperdeliberation
Clinician Brief
Tendency to overanalyze decisions before acting, even when it leads to problems
Client-Facing
Spending a lot of time analyzing choices before acting, even when it creates problems. Examples include examining every option, needing all available information, weighing pros and cons carefully, or taking months to reach a major decision.
Hypervigilance
Clinician Brief
Posttraumatic reactions of being overly alert and jumpy, staying on guard for danger and startling easily
Client-Facing
Feeling overly watchful and jumpy, staying on guard for possible danger and startling easily. Examples include feeling on edge, believing the world is unsafe, being concerned about harm from others, or reacting strongly to sudden noises or movements.
Insomnia
Clinician Brief
Difficulty sleeping well, with trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early
Client-Facing
Trouble getting good sleep, including difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early. Examples include sleeping poorly, lying awake at night, waking and not returning to sleep, or struggling to get enough rest.
Low Sexual Arousal
Clinician Brief
Problems with sexual arousal, from not feeling “turned on” to difficulty sustaining physical response
Client-Facing
Trouble becoming or staying “turned on” during sexual activity. Examples include finding it hard to get aroused, struggling to stay aroused once activity starts, or not having enough physical response to enjoy the experience.
Low Sexual Interest
Clinician Brief
Low sexual desire, marked by diminished interest in sexual activity
Client-Facing
Having low interest in or desire for sexual activity. Examples include feeling little or no desire, lacking interest in starting sexual activity, or feeling uninterested even during sexual experiences.
Manic Energy
Clinician Brief
Periods of extremely high mood and energy, with seemingly little need for sleep
Client-Facing
Times of unusually high mood and energy, often with little need for sleep. Examples include feeling overly excited or active, talking much more than usual, having so much energy others can’t keep up, or going without rest.
Mistrust
Clinician Brief
General tendency to doubt others, marked by suspicion and cynicism
Client-Facing
A general tendency to be suspicious of others and doubt their intentions. Examples include believing people are selfish, feeling others can’t be trusted, worrying they might take advantage of you, or thinking some are acting against you.
Cynicism
Suspiciousness
Muscle Building
Clinician Brief
Concern with appearing muscular, often driving intense exercise and supplement use
Client-Facing
Strong focus on building muscle and looking lean, sometimes leading to intense exercise or supplement use. Examples include wanting defined muscles, aiming to bulk up while staying lean, or feeling it’s very important to appear muscular.
Nightmares
Clinician Brief
Nightmares and disturbing dreams that occur often and disrupt daytime well-being
Client-Facing
Frequent nightmares or disturbing dreams that wake you and affect how you feel during the day. Examples include waking from bad dreams, having recurring upsetting dreams, or experiencing dreams that leave you distressed after waking.
Non-persistence
Clinician Brief
Difficulty staying focused on long-term goals or maintaining effort in challenging tasks
Client-Facing
Trouble staying focused on long-term goals or keeping effort up during difficult tasks. Examples include quitting before finishing, struggling to return after distractions, losing interest when things get hard, or finding it difficult to concentrate on uninteresting tasks.
Non-planfulness
Clinician Brief
Tendency to act quickly without planning or considering possible negative consequences
Client-Facing
A tendency to act on impulse without much planning or thought about consequences. Examples include making quick decisions, saying things without thinking, doing something spontaneous you later regret, or acting without considering possible negative outcomes.
Non-suicidal Self-injury
Clinician Brief
Deliberate harming of one’s body (cutting, burning, scratching) that isn’t meant to cause death
Client-Facing
Hurting your body on purpose without intending to die, often to cope with or temporarily relieve intense emotional pain. Examples include cutting, burning, biting, scratching, repeated urges to hurt yourself, or scratching until bleeding.
Oppositionality
Clinician Brief
Tendency to be argumentative, defiant, and resistant to authority figures
Client-Facing
Often pushing back against rules or authority, preferring to do things your own way even when it causes conflict. Examples include enjoying rebelling against authority, breaking rules on purpose, not following social norms, or dismissing others’ standards.
Panic
Clinician Brief
Intense physical anxiety symptoms like racing heart or dizziness, with fears of serious harm or death
Client-Facing
Sudden episodes of intense fear or anxiety that include physical symptoms and worries about serious harm. Examples include feeling dizzy or lightheaded, trembling or shaking, a racing heart, fearing a heart attack, or feeling like you might die.
Paraphilias
Clinician Brief
Sexual arousal in unusual or non-consensual contexts, such as exposing oneself or spying on others
Client-Facing
Sexual arousal that occurs in unusual or non-consenting situations, which can cause relationship problems. Examples include finding it arousing to expose yourself, spy on others, touch strangers without consent, or imagine sexual activity with someone unable to respond.
Perfectionism
Clinician Brief
Tendency to demand flawless results, leading to delays, overwork, and difficulty finishing tasks
Client-Facing
A strong drive for perfection that can cause stress, overwork, or difficulty finishing tasks. Examples include demanding flawless results, striving for perfection even when unnecessary, or delaying progress because things don’t feel good enough to complete.
Premature Orgasm
Clinician Brief
Lack of control over sexual climax, with orgasm occurring sooner than intended
Client-Facing
Difficulty controlling sexual climax, with orgasm happening sooner than desired. Examples include climaxing very quickly, trying to delay orgasm but being unable to, or reaching orgasm before you wanted to during sexual activity.
Problematic Shopping
Clinician Brief
Compulsive shopping with a strong urge to buy and difficulty controlling the desire for new things
Client-Facing
Strong urges to shop or buy things that feel hard to control, often leading to problems. Examples include buying more than needed, spending beyond your means, keeping shopping secret, or struggling to resist the desire for new things.
Purging
Clinician Brief
Using vomiting, medications, or supplements to control or force weight loss
Client-Facing
Using direct physical or medicine-based methods to force weight loss or prevent weight gain. Examples include making yourself vomit, taking medicines that make you lose water, using laxatives or enemas, or other substances to remove food.
Reality Distortion
Clinician Brief
Tendency to hold unusual beliefs or have perceptions that differ from commonly shared reality
Client-Facing
Having unusual beliefs or experiences others don’t share. Examples include thinking you can control things with your mind, believing others can hear your thoughts or that messages are meant for you, or seeing or hearing things others don’t.
Delusions
Hallucinations
Restlessness
Clinician Brief
Feeling unsettled and restless, with fidgeting or difficulty sitting still
Client-Facing
Feeling restless and uneasy, with difficulty staying seated or still. Examples include fidgeting, needing to stand when expected to sit, avoiding activities that require sitting, or struggling to remain in one place for long periods.
Restricted Affectivity
Clinician Brief
Limited expression and experience of emotions, including joy, warmth, and closeness with others
Client-Facing
Showing or feeling fewer emotions, which can make it harder to share joy or closeness with others. Examples include hiding your feelings, rarely showing emotion, not reacting to emotional events, or being told you don’t express emotions.
Restricted Eating
Clinician Brief
Eating less than is typical, such as intentionally skipping meals or limiting portions
Client-Facing
Eating less than usual, often by skipping meals or limiting how much you eat. Examples include going a long time without food, skipping multiple meals, making excuses to avoid eating, or being told you don’t eat enough.
Rigidity
Clinician Brief
Stubborn adherence to certain approaches, even when ineffective, and rigid moral or principled beliefs
Client-Facing
Holding tightly to certain ways of doing things or strong principles, even when they cause problems. Examples include refusing to compromise, sticking to the same approach even when it fails, or being very set in your ways.
Risk Aversion
Clinician Brief
Strong tendency to avoid risks and shy away from excitement or stimulation
Client-Facing
A strong preference for safety and caution, with a tendency to avoid risks or excitement. Examples include going out of your way to avoid risks, preferring the safest option, or strongly disliking taking chances.
Risk Taking
Clinician Brief
Tendency to pursue excitement and pleasure, often through risky or reckless behavior
Client-Facing
Seeking excitement and pleasure, sometimes through risky or daring behavior. Examples include enjoying dangerous activities, feeling alive when taking risks, being described as a risk-taker, or seeing yourself as a thrill-seeker.
Risky Sex
Clinician Brief
Engaging in sexual acts compulsively or in ways that increase health and pregnancy risks
Client-Facing
Engaging in sexual activity in ways that feel hard to control or create risks. Examples include having unprotected sex, using sex to cope with negative feelings, taking sexual risks, or later regretting sexual experiences.
Romantic Disinterest
Clinician Brief
Low interest, desire, or pleasure in romance and intimate connections with others
Client-Facing
Having little interest in romantic or intimate relationships. Examples include feeling that relationships are a hassle, not wanting to be in a close relationship, or having no interest in romance at all.
Sex-Related Substance Use
Clinician Brief
Using substances to boost sexual performance, attraction, or to reduce negative emotions during sex
Client-Facing
Using alcohol or drugs to change how you feel or act during sex. Examples include reducing anxiety, making sex feel more enjoyable, finding a partner more appealing, or encouraging a partner to use substances too.
Sexual Distress
Clinician Brief
Strong negative emotions in response to perceived sexual problems or difficulties
Client-Facing
Feeling upset or discouraged about sexual problems or difficulties. Examples include feeling guilty about sexual issues, worrying about your sex life, feeling inadequate, or being unhappy with your sexual performance.
Sexual Pain
Clinician Brief
Pain or discomfort in the genitals during or following sexual activity
Client-Facing
Feeling pain or discomfort in the genitals during or after sexual activity. Examples include tensing up because of pain, finding sex uncomfortable, or experiencing pain when trying to have vaginal or anal intercourse.
Social Aggression
Clinician Brief
Harming others socially by spreading rumors, lying, insulting, or disrupting relationships
Client-Facing
Causing harm in social situations by damaging others’ reputation or relationships. Examples include spreading rumors, mocking or insulting people, taunting others, or trying to break up friendships or romantic relationships.
Social Aloofness
Clinician Brief
Disinterest in social interaction, leading to avoidance and preference for being alone
Client-Facing
Preferring to be alone and showing little interest in social interaction. Examples include choosing solitude over company, feeling unmotivated to spend time with others, being happiest alone, or staying home instead of going to social gatherings.
Social Anxiety
Clinician Brief
Fear and avoidance of social situations, marked by shyness and worry about being negatively evaluated
Client-Facing
Fear of social situations, often tied to shyness or worry about being judged. Examples include avoiding public speaking, feeling uncomfortable meeting new people, struggling to make eye contact, or getting anxious when others are watching.
Somatic Preoccupation
Clinician Brief
Increased sensitivity to bodily sensations, with ongoing awareness of internal changes
Client-Facing
Being very aware of your physical sensations and internal bodily changes. Examples include paying close attention to how your body feels, noticing small shifts in how your body feels, and being highly aware of bodily cues.
Specific Phobia Index
Clinician Brief
Broad pattern of phobic reactions spanning animals, medical settings, and various situations
Client-Facing
Strong fears across a wide range of situations, objects, or settings. Examples include fear of animals like spiders or snakes, feeling faint at the sight of blood, being upset by needles or storms, or feeling anxious about flying or heights.
Animal-Insect Phobia
Blood-Injection Phobia
Situational Phobias
Submissiveness
Clinician Brief
Tendency to be timid and unassertive, often leading to being overlooked or taken advantage of
Client-Facing
Being quiet or unassertive in ways that can lead to being overlooked or taken advantage of. Examples include having trouble standing up for yourself, finding it hard to assert your needs, or letting others take advantage of you.
Suicidality
Clinician Brief
General thoughts of death and more specific suicidal thoughts, plans, or attempts
Client-Facing
Thoughts about death or suicide, ranging from thinking about death to making plans or attempts to kill yourself. Examples include frequently thinking about death, forming a plan to end your life, thinking about killing yourself, or attempting suicide.
Trauma Reactions
Clinician Brief
Recurrent memories or flashbacks of trauma, paired with avoidance of related people, places, or thoughts
Client-Facing
Strong reactions to past traumatic events that continue to affect daily life. Examples include repeated memories, upsetting images, sudden feelings as if the event is happening again, or avoiding people, places, and thoughts connected to the trauma.
Trichotillomania
Clinician Brief
Persistent urge-driven or automatic hair pulling that leads to noticeable hair loss and distress
Client-Facing
Repeated hair pulling driven by urges or automatic behavior that leads to noticeable hair loss and distress. Examples include feeling embarrassed about pulling, removing hairs of different color or texture, or having strong urges to pull.
Well-being
Clinician Brief
Feelings of positive emotion, such as being happy, excited, proud, or motivated
Client-Facing
A general sense of well-being and positive emotion. Examples include feeling cheerful, proud of yourself, optimistic about the future, motivated to take action, or generally good about who you are.
Workaholism
Clinician Brief
Excessive focus on productivity and achievement, prioritizing work over relationships or leisure
Client-Facing
Placing very high importance on productivity and achievement, often at the expense of relationships or leisure. Examples include being described as a workaholic, thinking about work on days off, or having little time for friends and family because of work.