The Altman Self-Rating Mania Scale (ASRM) is a 5-item self-reported
diagnostic
Diagnosis is the identification of the nature and cause of a certain phenomenon. Diagnosis is used in many different disciplines, with variations in the use of logic, analytics, and experience, to determine " cause and effect". In systems engine ...
scale which can be used to assess the presence and severity
manic and
hypomanic
Hypomania (literally "under mania" or "less than mania") is a mental disorder, mental and Abnormal behaviour, behavioural disease#Disorder, disorder, characterised essentially by an apparently non-contextual elevation of Mood (psychology), mood (e ...
symptoms, most commonly in patients diagnosed with
bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...
.
[Altman EG, Hedeker D, Perterson JL, Davis JM. ''The Altman Self-Rating Mania Scale''. Biol Psychiatry. 1997 Nov 15;42(10):948-55. ]
Effectiveness
The ASRM scale has been shown to be an effective self-reported questionnaire for screening patients with acute mania as well as measuring anti-manic treatment effects.
[Altman EG, Hedeker D, Perterson JL, Davis JM. A comparative evaluation of three self-rating scales for acute mania. Biol Psychiatry. 2001 Sep 15;50(6):468-71. ][Bräuning E.G., Sarkar R. et.al Gender differences in psychotic bipolar mania. Gend Med. 2009 Jul;6(2):356-61. ] Though only a 5-question instrument, the scale's compatibility with the clinician administered
Young Mania Rating Scale
The Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), developed by Vincent E Ziegler and popularised by Robert Young, is an eleven-item multiple choice diagnostic questionnaire which psychiatrists use to measure the presence and severity of mania and associated ...
and the DSM-IV criteria give substantial diagnostic power for such a brief instrument.
Format
The Altman Self-Rating Mania Scale assess differences in "normal" or baseline levels in five subjective and behavioral areas:
# positive mood
# self-confidence
# sleep patterns
# speech patterns and amount
# motor activity
Each of these areas has five statements which correspond to scores 0 through 4; with 0 being unchanged from "normal" or baseline, to 4 being overtly manic thoughts or behavior.
The subject is asked to choose one statement from each of the five areas that best describes the way they have been feeling over the past week.
Scoring
Scores above a 5 are indicative of mania, or hypomania, with the severity of symptoms increasing with higher scores.
Examining score changes over time is also used to determine the efficacy of a particular treatment in a clinical setting and to qualify whether the severity a manic episode is increasing or decreasing.
See also
*
Diagnostic classification and rating scales used in psychiatry
Diagnosis is the identification of the nature and cause of a certain phenomenon. Diagnosis is used in many different disciplines, with variations in the use of logic, analytics, and experience, to determine " cause and effect". In systems engin ...
*
Young Mania Rating Scale
The Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), developed by Vincent E Ziegler and popularised by Robert Young, is an eleven-item multiple choice diagnostic questionnaire which psychiatrists use to measure the presence and severity of mania and associated ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Online version of the ASRM
Mania screening and assessment tools