Prototypical profiles of the brief psychiatric rating scale

Three prototypical profiles of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS; Overall & Gorham? 1962) were isolated using a Q-type factor-analytic strategy with a sample of homeless men with mental illness (N=165). The 3 profiles-depressed. actively psychotic, and withdrawn-were used to study changes in BPRS profiles over time in a control group and a group that received assertive community treatment (ACT). Over 2 time periods (inception to 12 months and 12-24 months), the 2 groups did not differ in terms of changes in profile shape, but they did differ in terms of changes in profile elevation. The ACT group evidenced a decrease in symptom severity during the last 12 months, whereas the control group showed an increase. Although changes in profile shape in both groups did occur, there was a significant tendency for the shape of the BPRS profiles to remain stable from the inception of the study to the 12-month assessment and from that time to the 24-month assessment. We describe the uses of these prototypical profiles and discuss the applicability of this analytical approach to other assessment instruments.