Mood Thermometer (BSRS-5) is a simple mental health self-assessment tool that helps quickly screen for psychological distress such as anxiety, depression, anger, etc. It is widely used in suicide prevention and control, community screening and mental health research. Understand the origin, application and online testing methods of mood thermometers.
What is a mood thermometer?
Mood Thermometer, also known as the Brief Health Scale (BSRS-5), is a self-assessment tool used to screen for mental symptoms. The purpose is to quickly understand the individual's mental health needs in order to provide necessary mental health services. The mood thermometer is short and easy to use compared to other screening scales, and the results show that it has good reliability and validity even in large-scale community surveys.
The origin of mood thermometer
The mood thermometer is derived from the Psychiatric Symptom Scale (SCL-90-R) compiled by Derogatis. Professor Li Mingbin of the Department of Psychiatry at National Taiwan University Hospital and others revised it to the simplified symptom scale (BSRS-50), and used this scale to screen 721 hospitalized patients, and finally simplified it into a simplified BSRS-5, which includes 5 questions, namely a mood thermometer.
The effectiveness of mood thermometer
The first five questions of the mood thermometer measure the severity of five common psychological distresses, including anxiety, anger, depression, inferiority, and insomnia. Each question in this scale is highly correlated with depression, anxiety, hostility, and interpersonal relationships. Research shows that the internal consistency of the mood thermometer (Cronbach's alpha) is 0.77-0.90 and the retest reliability is 0.82, indicating that the mood thermometer is an effective scale.
Application of mood thermometer
In addition to personal self-evaluation, mood thermometers are also widely used in the following fields:
- Suicide Prevention and Control: The Suicide Prevention and Control Center uses a mood thermometer as a suicide risk assessment tool to evaluate the degree of emotional distress and the severity of suicide thoughts in different groups and places.
- Community Mental Health Screening: Mood Thermometers can be used in large-scale community surveys to screen for potential mental health problems.
- Medical Institutions: Mood thermometers can help medical staff understand the patient's mental health status and provide corresponding support and treatment.
- Research: Mood thermometers are used in many studies related to mental health, such as studies on epidemiological characteristics of suicide attempters.
How to use a mood thermometer to test online?
- Click the Start Test button below to enter the test.
- Read the test instructions and questions carefully.
- Each question is scored based on actual conditions in the past week (including today). The score range is 0-4 points, 0 means no at all, 1 means mild, 2 means moderate, 3 means powerful, and 4 means very powerful.
- After completing all questions, submit the answers and the system will automatically calculate your total score.
The mood thermometer provided by PsycTest Quiz's official website is 0-24 points, and can be divided into several levels according to the score. It should be noted that the mood thermometer is only used as a tool for self-testing and evaluating the degree of psychological distress, and its scoring results are for personal reference only and are not a basis for diagnosis.
