Resources

Developed in 1982, the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST) is used to screen individuals for possible drug abuse. Questions touch on the respondent's use of drugs other than alcohol and the effect drug use has had on a respondent's health, family, and work life. The tool includes a scoring and interpretation section to assist clinicians with diagnosing patients.

Originally published in Internal Medicine, the GAD-7 is designed to determine whether an individual may be suffering from generalized anxiety disorder. Responses to questions are self-reported based on problems experienced by a respondent during the prior two weeks and are rated on a scale of 0 to 3, with 0 being “not at all sure” and 3 being “nearly every day.”

Developed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the Quick Screen V1.0 was designed to assist clinicians screening for drug abuse in adult patients. Based on a patient’s responses to the initial four questions related to the use of alcohol, tobacco products, and prescription and illegal drugs, the clinician can then, if necessary, move on to the remaining eight questions dealing with types of drugs used, frequency, desire to use, effect on the patient’s life, and attempts to stop using drugs. The tool includes a risk level score to help clinicians identify a patient’s level of risk for use of illicit or nonmedical prescription drug use.

Developed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the Tobacco, Alcohol, Prescription Medications, and Other Substance (TAPS) Tool is designed to elicit responses regarding an individual’s use of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. The first part, consisting of four questions, deals with the respondent’s use of tobacco, alcohol, and/or drugs on a daily, weekly, monthly, less-than-monthly, or never time basis for the 12-month period prior to completing the screening tool. The second part, consisting of nine questions, asks the individual to provide responses for the prior three months.

Published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the article outlines the steps used to validate the single-question alcohol screening test, “How many times in the past year have you had X or more drinks in a day?” and the outcome of the validation process. It includes several tables that reflect the demographic breakdown of the research subjects and statistical information related to unhealthy alcohol use among the subjects.

Developed by the Texas Christian University, Institute of Behavioral Research, the TCU Drug Screen questions relate to the respondent’s drug use, its effect on the respondent’s work/school life and relationships, and any deleterious physical effects on the respondent. The first 17 questions deal with all drug types, while the final 17 questions comprise the opioid supplement and deal only with the respondent’s use of licit and illicit opioid drugs.

The Patient Health Questionnaire–2 (PHQ-2) is part of the Stable Resource Toolkit. It includes the first two questions from the PHQ-9 and is used to quickly determine whether the more in-depth PHQ-9 screening tool should be administered. The self-report questions are ranked on a scale from 0 to 3 and ask individuals to respond based on their experiences for the two weeks prior to completing the screening tool.

The PHQ-9 is a nine-question screening tool for depression that includes instructions for clinicians administering the screening tool to aid in making a diagnosis of depression. Respondents self-report, on a scale of 0 to 3, their experiences for the two weeks prior to completing the screening tool.