DISC & DISCUS (Discrimination and Stigma Scales)

The DISC is an interview-based scale which measures experiences of mental health-related discrimination (‘being treated unfairly’) in key areas of everyday life and social participation, including work, marriage, parenting, housing, leisure, and religious activities. It has 32 questions. The DISC is designed to be completed by people who have experience of mental health problems. It is a reliable and valid measure and has been used in over 60 countries around the world.

DISCUS: 11 questions – the Discrimination and Stigma Scale (DISC-12) was specifically developed to measure experienced and anticipated discrimination reported by people with mental health problems. However, the length of the DISC-12 may represent a disadvantage especially in country settings with limited human capacity and infrastructure. A short version of DISC-12 was developed -DISCUS- to address these limitations. The DISCUS scale is a consistent and valid instrument to measure experienced and anticipated discrimination predominantly in personal and social relationships in global settings.

QUAD (Questionnaire on Anticipated Discrimination)

The QUAD is a new measure of anticipated discrimination. It asks people how much they personally anticipate experiencing mental health-related discrimination across 14 areas of life. The QUAD is intended for use with people who have a mental health problem. Our research showed that the QUAD is an understandable, reliable and valid questionnaire.

To access key papers, manuals and language translations of the scales, please register here.