The Premorbid Adjustment Scale (PAS): its use in an Australian study.

The Premorbid Adjustment Scale (PAS) is a new premorbid scale for use in schizophrenia, developed by the National Institute of Mental Health. Its use in a recent Australian study is described. While total scores clearly discriminated schizophrenic from manic patients, and good test-retest reliability was demonstrated for the schizophrenic patients, the scores did not predict duration of hospitalisation for the schizophrenic group, as reported in the North American study. It is concluded that more research on the PAS is necessary before it can be accepted as a useful instrument in schizophrenia research and clinical practice.