Washington University School of Medicine

WERC Screening Instruments

The screening instruments described below were developed at WERC primarily for research use, and can be downloaded for free. They may also be useful for screening of youths in community and clinical settings. All instruments are completed by the respondent.

Disclaimer: Results obtained from these instruments should not substitute or supersede the opinion of an experienced mental health professional. Results may be unrelated to the presence or absence of a mental disorder.

  1. WERC Affectivity and Psychosis Screen (WERCAP Screen):
    WERCAP Screen was designed to assess the risk for developing bipolar and psychotic disorders in the future. It can also estimate the severity of affective and psychotic symptoms. Obtained scores correspond to the time period specified in the designated “period” box or over a lifetime (default). Questions 1-8 probe affective symptoms, and questions 9-16 probe psychotic symptoms. Affective and psychotic symptoms are scored separately. Scores are generated by a sum of frequency ratings (0-5) and frequency ratings (0-3). Estimated time for completion: 3-6 minutes.
    Download English WERCAP here
    Download Chinese WERCAP here
    Download French WERCAP here
    Download German WERCAP here
    Download Hungarian WERCAP here
    Download Italian WERCAP here
    Download Kinyarwandean WERCAP here
    Download Korean WERCAP here
    Download Spanish WERCAP here
    Download Swahili WERCAP here


  2. WERC Stress Screen:
    WERC Stress Screen was designed to identify specific psychological stressors in youth and their severities. Obtained scores correspond to the time period specified in the designated “period” box or currently (default). Total stress severity may be estimated by summing individual severity scores (derived from numbers in brackets). Estimated time for completion: 1-2 minutes.
    Download English Stress Screen here
    Download Chinese Stress Screen here
    Download Spanish Stress Screen here


  3. WERC Substance Screen:
    WERC Substance Screen assesses the usage frequencies of a variety of legal and illegal substances. These include several recreational drugs, hormones, alcohol, caffeine and tobacco. Obtained scores correspond to the time period specified in the designated “period” box or currently (default). Estimated time for completion: 1-2 minutes.
    Download here.

Take a Brief Early Symptom Screener

References:

  1. Mamah D, Owoso A, Sheffield JM, Bayer C. The WERCAP Screen and the WERC Stress Screen: Psychometrics of Self-Rated Instruments for Assessing Bipolar and Psychotic Disorder Risk and Perceived Stress Burden. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 2014 Oct;55(7):1757-71
  2. Mamah D, Mutiso VN, Ndetei DM. Longitudinal and Cross-sectional Validation of the WERCAP Screen for Assessing Psychosis Risk and Conversion. Schizophrenia Research, 2022 Feb 7;241:201-209.
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