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Background and Aim: Rehabilitation for people with severe mental illness is incomplete without life skills assessment and intervention. The aim of the study was develop a culturally specific performance-based measure assessing life skills of patients with severe mental illness. Materials and Methods: The items for the Vellore Inventory of Life Skills (VILS) were drawn after consultation with a reference group and from existing standardized scales. The items were categorized into two sections with six components each, which was further hierarchically arranged into activities at either basic, intermediate, or advanced level. One hundred consecutive clients between 18 and 60 years of age who provided written informed consent were assessed on the Comprehensive Evaluation of Basic Living Skills (CEBLS) and the VILS to evaluate convergent validity and inter-rater reliability. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was used to evaluate divergent validity. The assessments were repeated after a week to evaluate test-retest reliability. Results: The scale had good inter-rater reliability 0.938 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.887-0.967) and test-retest reliability 0.907 (95% CI 0.865-0.937). The correlation between total score of VILS and CEBLS (Pearson's correlation coefficient [PCC] = 0.611; P = 0.001) suggested moderate convergent validity. The correlation between total score of VILS and GHQ-12 (PCC = -0.260; P = 0.105) implied good divergent validity. Conclusion: Preliminary data suggest that the VILS is clinically useful for the Indian population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Social skills deficits are hallmark symptoms of chronic mental illness. The absence of a culturally sensitive instrument to measure social skills in the Indian population demands the need to develop and standardize such instruments. Aim: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a context-specific, culturally relevant, and performance-based assessment scale for social performance. Materials and Methods: An expert committee of mental health professionals reviewed existing literature, identified standardized scales, examined items for cultural relevance, and identified possible issues for measurement. The items were categorized into 5 domains with a 7-point scale. The instrument was initially piloted on 10 participants, then among 101 consecutive clients with chronic mental illness between 18 and 60 years of age who provided written informed consent. They were assessed by two therapists to evaluate inter-rater reliability and test–retest reliability. They were also assessed on the Social Interaction and Communication Skills Checklist (SICSC) to evaluate convergent validity and on the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to assess divergent validity. Standard statistical tests were used to study its characteristics. Results: The scale had good inter-rater reliability (0.941; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.914, 0.960) and test–retest reliability (0.928; 95% CI: 0.810, 0.965). The correlation between total score of Vellore Assessment of Social Performance (VASP) and SICSC (Pearson's correlation coefficient = 0.696; P = 0.001) suggested moderate convergent validity. The correlation between total score of VASP and GHQ-12 (Pearson's correlation coefficient = −0.046; P = 0.648) implied good divergent validity. Conclusion: VASP seems to be a promising scale to assess social performance in people with mental illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there have been significant advances in treatments for mental disorders over the past century, cure for many mental disorders remains elusive. The complex problems of mental illness require a multi-sectoral, multi-disciplinary and multi-dimensional approach to care. The need for focus on biopsychosocial model rather than on biomedical practise, client-centred rather than physician-oriented care, personal rather than clinical recovery, are often preached but rarely practiced. The lack of emphasis on functioning and the limited workforce and evidence base complicate issues related to the care of people with chronic mental illness in India. The role of occupational therapy in bridging the gap between symptomatic improvement and functional recovery is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]