Reliability and validity of the daily living activities scale: a functional assessment measure for severe mental disorders

Issues concerning the validity of using the Daily Living Activities Scale (DLA) as a means to measure the severity of mental disorders are examined. Topics include the manner in which reliability of a psychological measurement can be tested, a study evaluating DLA internal consistency and interrater reliability for 85 clients, a study testing symptomatology and functionality for 886 clients over 6 months, and conclusions that support the usefulness of the DLA.