The Clinical Anxiety Scale (CAS)

Sul sito www.medal.org si possono trovare svariati "Medical Algorithms". Dopo l'accesso con la propria password si può ricercare un algoritmo partendo da una parola chiave. In questo modo, si ottiene una lista di svariati algoritmi legati ad essa, tra i quali si può ricercare quello che ci interessa..

The Clinical Anxiety Scale (CAS) is an instrument for quickly measuring the severity of anxiety in a patient. It was derived from the Hamilton Anxiety Scale. The authors are from the University of Leeds.
Parameters - based on how the patient has felt during the past 2 days:
(1) psychic tension
(2) ability to relax (muscular tension)
(3) startle response (hyperarousability)
(4) worrying
(5) apprehension, with groundless anticipation of disaster
(6) restlessness

Parameter

Finding Points

Psychic tension
Within population norms 0
A slight feeling of being tense without distress 1
A definite experience of being tense which is sufficient 2
to cause some although not severe distress
marked feelings of being tense that fluctuate 3
during the course of the day
very marked and distressing, with little change throughout 4
the waking hours


muscular tension
No subjective muscular tension, or 0
tension that can be easily controlled at will
Slight recurrent muscular tension but which 1
does not cause distress
Musuclar tension in some part of the body to cause 2
some but not severe distress
Severe tension limited to certain muscles and which 3
may fluctuate in severity throughout the day
Severe tension throughout much of the body's skeletal 4
muscles most of the waking day, with no ability
to relax the muscles at will


startle response
Within population norms 0
Slightly "jumpy" but not distressed 1
Unexpected noises may cause definite 2
but not severe distress
Unexpected noise causes severe distress 3
that is either psychic or somatic but not both
Unexpected noise causes severe distress that 4
has both psychic and somatic components


worrying
Within population norms 0
Worries a little more than necessary about 1
minor matters but does not cause much distress
Painful thoughts out of proportion to the 2
patient's situation keep intruding into
consciousness but the patient is able
to dispel or dismiss them
Painful thoughts that fluctuate in intensity 3
throughout the waking hours, and the distressing
thoughts may cease for an hour or two, especially
if the patient is distracted by an activity
requiring attention
Continuous preoccupation with painful thoughts 4
which cannot be stopped voluntarily and the
distress is out of proportion to the subject
matter of the thoughts

apprehension
none 0
Slight but does not cause distress 1
Sensation that is not severe but which causes some distress 2
Feels on the brink of disaster but no more than once a day 3
Feels on the brink of some disaster that cannot be explained; 4
the experience need not be continuous and may occur in short
bursts several times a day


restlessness
None 0
Slight, does not cause distress 1
Feeling a "need to be on the move" which causes some, 2
but not severe, distress
Restless, but able to keep still for an hour 3
or so at a time
Unable to keep still for more than a few minutes 4
and engages in restless pacing or other
purposeless activities

clinical anxiety scale = SUM(points for all 6 parameters)

Interpretation:
• minimum score: 0
• maximum score: 24
• maximum points for panic attacks: 4
• The higher the score, the greater the degree of anxiety.