The Axis II Personality Checklist (A-II) is a rapid and effective way to gather and organize information regarding the possible presence of personality disorders in older adolescents and adults. Checklist items ask about beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that characterize each of the 10 DSM-IV Axis II personality disorders:

Composed of 184 yes-or-no items written at a fifth-grade reading level, the A-II takes only 10 to 20 minutes to complete, yet it is useful to the clinician almost instantly.

Responses are automatically transferred to a four-page Interview Guide, which contains critical item designations, a Consistency Check, groupings of the items that correspond to DSM-IV personality disorders, and a list of Axis II general diagnostic criteria.

The A-II can be administered before an initial interview to help establish the most fruitful direction for the interview and follow-up evaluation. Endorsed items can be discussed in depth during the interview. The clinician can save time by discussing with the client those behaviors or attitudes that are self-defeating or that interfere with therapeutic progress. A client’s A-II responses offer a shared focus for specific therapeutic goals aimed at decreasing reported behaviors and increasing appropriate alternatives.

Many items on the Checklist may indicate an Axis I disorder as well as a personality disorder. The clinician may want to supplement the interview with the adult symptom screening form of the Problem Behavior Inventory for Axis I disorders (WPS Product No. W-239).

Component

A-II CHECKLIST AND INTERVIEW GUIDE. Includes 25 AutoScore Checklists and attached Interview Guides, plus Instructions.