ARMS and CAARMS

Question 1

What are prodromal symptoms?

Answer 1

• Non-specific symptoms (e.g. depressed mood, anxiety, sleep disturbances)
• Sub-threshold or attenuated psychotic symptoms
• Behavioural changes (e.g. social withdrawal, deterioration in role functioning

Question 2

Who are ARMS people?

Answer 2

• ARMS refers to a cluster of symptoms and
  signs that is associated with a high risk of
  onset of psychotic disorder in the near future
• Ultra High Risk (UHR) criteria are the operationalised criteria used to the detect ARMS

Question 3

7 CAARMS subscales

Answer 3

1. Positive symptoms
2. Cognitive Change-Attention/Concentration
3. Emotional Disturbances
4. Negtive symptoms
5. Behvioural changes
6. Motor/Physical Changes
7. General Psychopathology

Question 4

What is CAARMS (Yung et al., 2005) and what is it used for?

Answer 4

It is a semi-strucutred interview
Used for:
1. Identify young individuals at high risk of psychosis

2. Track the trajectory of their psychotic symptoms
3. Detect transition to psychosis

Question 5

How to score CAARMS

Answer 5

• Pick more severe symptom
• Choose more severe
• More frequenct
• More distressing
• One outisde substance use

Consider cultural norms
Consider other conditions
Substances - do not rate while symtoms occur at peak intoxicaion of weed or alcohol

Question 6

Social Anxiety

Answer 6

Social anxiety in social situations, self consciousness fear of negative evaluation by others e.g. social performance, self image, perceived threat is internal and focus of attention is internal.

Question 7

Suspiciousness

Answer 7

Often accompanied by anxiety, fear of harm from others, threat is perceived as being external, focus is external (e.g. hypervigilance to keep safe)

Question 8

CAARSM UHR criteria

Answer 8

1. Vulnerability group: one first degree relative with psychosis OR/AND meeting criteria for schizotypal PD + decline in functioning or chronic low functioning
2. Attenuated psychosis group: psychotic symptoms subthreshold for intensity OR/AND frequency + decline in functioning or chronic low functioning
3. BLIPS: brief limited intermittent psychotic episode resolving spontaneously (no medication) within 7 days + decline in functioning or chronic low functioning

Question 9

CAARMS scoring

Answer 9

• Global rating assessed on a scale of Severity/Intensity (0 to 6)

Each subscale detailed and descriptive anchor points

Onset – offset
* Frequency & Duration assessed (0 to 6)
* Pattern of symptoms (0 1 2)-substance use-
* Level of Distress 0-100% rated (record this for each experience at the time of the occurrence)