CAT-MH Mental Health Assessment

CAT-MH

Adaptive Testing Technologies

Mental health assessment should not slow down care. CAT-MH® transforms traditional mental health evaluations into precise, personalised experiences that take just minutes, not hours. Thanks to adaptive technology that learns and adjusts with each response, clinicians can now gather validated, comprehensive mental health insights across nine crucial domains, from depression to PTSD. It is not just faster; it is smarter care that adapts to everyone’s unique needs.

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Scores/interpretation: Severity Score, Precision Score, Diagnostic Classification, Percentiles

Trademark information: CAT-MH^® is a registered trademark of Adaptive Testing Technologies

Completion time: Variable: 1–3 minutes per domain

Administration: Digital

Age range: 18+

System requirements: Internet-connected device

Qualification level: B

Norms: Validated against structured clinical interviews (SCID-DSM-5)

Scoring options: Digital with Q-global^®

Forms: Adaptive Item Banks

Report Options: Digital with Q-global^®

Uses: Psychopathology screening and measurement based on self-reported ratings of the patient. The CAT-MH^® is a suite of measures validated for depression, anxiety, suicidality, mania/hypomania, substance use disorder, psychosis, PTSD, adult ADHD, and social determinants of health.

Telepractice: CAT-MH^® is ideal for use in Telepractice settings. The test can be administered remotely via a test administration link shared over email.

CAT-MH^® offers the most efficient mental health assessment(s) available through cutting-edge adaptive technology. By leveraging multidimensional item response theory (IRT) and computer adaptive testing (CAT), CAT-MH^® provides precise and personalised mental health evaluations in a fraction of the time required by traditional methods. This innovation allows clinicians to efficiently gather comprehensive and precise mental health data, enhancing their ability to deliver timely and effective care.

How does CAT-MH^® work?

The CAT-MH^® is based on multidimensional item response theory (MIRT). Within computer adaptive testing (CAT), individuals’ initial item responses are used to determine a provisional estimate of their standing on the measured trait to be used for subsequent item selection. Item Response Theory (IRT) is a statistical theory and related methodology that relate a series of item responses (binary, ordinal, or nominal) to one or more latent variables (e.g. depression). MIRT-based CAT enables for the first time adaptive measurement of complex disorders such as depression, SUD, and suicidality. There are no other behavioural health measurement systems that use this advanced psychometric technology. It is essential for scientifically rigorous measurement of behavioural health constructs.

Why choose CAT-MH^®?

The benefits of CAT-MH^® include:

Comprehensive domain coverage: CAT-MH^® includes modules to assess a wide range of mental health concerns: Depression, Anxiety, Suicidality, Mania/Hypomania, PTSD, Substance Use, Adult ADHD and Social Determinants of Health.
Lower testing burden: Digital computerised adaptive testing from a test-session link lowers test taker burden and eliminates clinician burden
Flexible, configurable assessment sessions: Clinicians can choose to administer all the assessments in a single session or select only the domains they are interested in for that given moment in time.
Efficiency: The entire battery can be administered to most individuals in under 10 minutes. Any single module can be administered in 1-3 minutes.
Precision: using Computer Adaptive Testing based on multi-dimensional item-response theory, results obtained provide a precision score, a suggested diagnostic classification and a specificity score so clinicians/educators can be highly confident in obtained results.
Individualised assessment: Computer Adaptive Testing means that examinees receive test questions based on their individual situation and responses. Subsequent test sessions are unique and do not administer the same questions over and over again.
Large Item Bank: The CAT-MH^® adaptively selects a small optimal set of items from a large bank of approximately 1,500 items, targeted to each person’s current or historical level of severity.
Accessibility: using our Q-global platform, users can access the tests from any internet enabled device. Assessments can be completed in the office, or remotely using a smartphone, tablet, or computer.
Multi-purpose assessment: CAT-MH^® modules can be used for triage in healthcare or education settings, in advance of clinical appointments, or as part of ongoing outcome monitoring in a variety of settings.
Additional clinical population selections: Test items can be selected for general, criminal justice, and perinatal populations.
English and Spanish test items, selectable with or without audio voice

Traditional mental health assessments	CAT-MH®
Time-consuming (often hours) Practice effects Limited flexibility Clinician burden	75% faster Adaptive precision Comprehensive domains Configurable

Testing Modules (Domains)

CAT-MH® assesses essential mental health domains:

Depression – The Depression module measures the severity of depression symptoms with about 12 questions. It takes around 66 seconds to complete and has high accuracy compared to other scales like HAM-D, PHQ-9, and CES-D.
Anxiety – The Anxiety module assesses anxiety severity using 12 questions, taking roughly 79 seconds. It shows a strong correlation with HAM-D, PHQ-9, and CES-D scales.
Suicide – This innovative Suicide scale uses items from depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts combined into one measure. Taking around 55 seconds, it predicts future suicidal behaviour and has been validated with excellent sensitivity and specificity.
Mania/Hypomania – This module evaluates the severity of mania/hypomania symptoms in 121 seconds using 12 questions. It correlates well with HAM-D and CES-D scales.
ADHD – Tailored for adults, this ADHD module provides quick severity scores within 109 seconds using adapted items from the K-CAT^® module.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (2 Modules):
- PTSD-DX – For diagnostic screening, this module mirrors CAPS-5 interviews and completes within 35 seconds, showing high sensitivity and specificity.
- PTSD-E – Expanded version suitable for treatment assessments, providing scores from 0 to 100 within 94 seconds, validated against PCL-5 and CAPS-5.
Substance Use Disorder (2 Modules):
- CAT-SUD-E – Expands CAT-SUD to diagnose 8 different SUDs for both lifetime and current usage, averaging under 4 minutes completion time. Should be used for initial assessment and diagnosis.
- CAT-SUD – First adaptive SUD measure bridging mental health symptoms and substance abuse indicators. Takes 144 seconds with high diagnostic accuracy based on CIDI interviews. Ideal for use as a progress monitor and in longitudinal assessment.
Psychosis – Measures psychosis severity in about 73 seconds with 11 questions. Validated against BPRS and SCID, offering precise severity scores.

The science behind the speed

Multidimensional Item Response Theory (MIRT)
Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT)
Validated against structured clinical diagnostic interviews (SCID-DSM-5)
Large item banks prevent practice effects
Real-time adaptation to patient responses
Clinical-grade precision in minutes

Validated The CAT-MH® has been validated against SCID-DSM-5 and published in journals such as JAMA Psychiatry.	Large Item Bank Adaptive selection from approximately 1,500 items targeted to severity.
Precise Measurement Fixed precision with variable items increases accuracy while reducing burden.	Quick Administration Approximately 2 minutes per module with clinical-grade precision.

What is the intended population for the CAT-MH®?

What can the CAT-MH® measure?

What are the key benefits of using the CAT-MH®?

The CAT-MH^® offers dramatically increased precision over traditional measures while reducing clinician and participant burden. Because the assessment is adaptive and draws from a large item bank, each administration presents a unique set of questions, helping to reduce response bias. The tools can also be administered on any web-enabled device - such as a tablet, phone, or computer - allowing participants to complete assessments in an environment where they feel most comfortable. This flexibility enables screening, measurement, and monitoring both within and outside of the clinic.

Has the CAT-MH® been validated against other assessments?

The CAT-MH^® has been validated against structured clinical diagnostic interviews (e.g. SCID DSM-5) so it can also provide diagnostic probabilities for a large number of disorders and suicide risk. The CAT-MH^® for adults and K-CAT^® for youth are the only adaptive measurement systems that preserve the multidimensionality of complex mental health constructs and the only suites of mental health measures that have been fully validated against structured clinical diagnostic interviews. (See the Reference List found on the Resources tab)

How have other organisations used the CAT-MH®?

Since the questions vary and the same questions are not repeatedly administered, the CAT-MH^® is ideal for longitudinal assessments essential for measurement-based care. The CAT-MH^® has been used to successfully monitor mental health in private clinical practice, emergency departments, primary care, research institutions, community care centres, large-scale health surveys, universities, schools, state and federal government agencies and by non-clinical wellness teams.

How are results of the CAT-MH® sent to the clinician?

Since the CAT-MH^® assessments do not require clinician rating, the results from an assessment are available in the Q-Global platform immediately after participant completion. The results will include the severity score of each module, the associated severity category, the precision or level of confidence of that score, and the breakdown of the questions asked and the participant responses.

Does the CAT-MH® require an internet connection?

Yes, the CAT-MH^® is administered through an online platform. Access to the internet is required to complete the assessment, and separately for clinicians to view the results. If an internet connection is lost during an assessment session and then reconnects, the assessment will re-commence at the point the connection was lost.

When should the CAT-MH® be administered?

The CAT-MH^® has shown great value in both establishing a mental health baseline and tracking changes longitudinally over time. The tools have been validated for use during a variety of different timeframes ranging from lifetime to past hour. The CAT-MH^® should be used as a clinician tool that can help inform mental health treatment plans and assess intake levels as well as post-treatment follow-up. It should not substitute for a diagnosis by a mental health professional.

Is there an internal consistency or other validity scale provided with the CAT-MH®?

While there is no specific validity score provided, there are a number of ways in which inconsistent and/or invalid response patterns may be identified. Response time in seconds is provided for each item administered during the testing. Should response times be too short (less than an average of 2.5 seconds), then this could indicate random responding by the examinee. Additionally, each administered item is given a severity categorisation - if all items administered are at the same level of severity, it is possible that this could be a sign of malingering or fixed responding. If a client responds to all questions in a given module with the same, or alternating responses, this could also be an indication of disingenous or fixed responding (e.g. all responses as Never, or All of the Time ) Lastly, the final precision score for the assessment can be used to identify inconsistent responses. A target score of 5 is the precision goal for each administration/assessment. Precision scores higher than 7 could be indicative of inconsistent responding.

Does the CAT-MH® meet the Frye or Daubert standards?

Courts do not determine in the abstract whether a tool “meets” Frye or Daubert; admissibility depends on the jurisdiction and the foundation laid in a specific case. That said, the CAT-MH^® suite is based on computerised adaptive testing and multidimensional item response theory—methods widely accepted in psychometrics—and its scales have undergone peer-reviewed validation across diverse settings and populations.
Under Daubert, experts can address testability, peer review and publication, known error rates and classification accuracy (e.g., sensitivity/specificity, standard error of measurement), and the existence of standardised administration and scoring procedures with the CAT-MH. Under Frye, experts can point to the general acceptance of CAT/MIRT approaches and the published validation literature.
While experts in legal cases should be confident in using CAT-MH results to support their conclusions, they should be presented as one source of evidence, used alongside other assessment data and clinical findings, with appropriate disclosure of limitations; they should not be treated as a standalone basis for diagnosis or legal conclusions.

Is there an interpretation manual for the CAT-MH®?

Is there a reference list available for the CAT-MH®?

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CAT-MH Mental Health Assessment

To place an order:

How does CAT-MH^® work?

Why choose CAT-MH^®?

Testing Modules (Domains)

The science behind the speed

Validated

Large Item Bank

Precise Measurement

Quick Administration

Resources

ASSESSMENTS

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