THE DEVELOPMENT AND RELIABILITY OF THE MENTAL-HEALTH RESEARCH-INSTITUTE UNUSUAL PERCEPTIONS SCHEDULE (MUPS) - AN INSTRUMENT TO RECORD AUDITORY HALLUCINATORY EXPERIENCE

The Mental Health Research Institute Unusual Perceptions Schedule (MUP S) is a comprehensive instrument developed to record subjects' experie nces of auditory hallucinations as completely as possible. The Schedul e comprises a semi-structured interview and documents the physical cha racteristics of auditory hallucinations such as their onset and course , number, volume, tone, location, as well as other phenomena associate d with them such as delusions. In addition, other aspects of hallucina tions, such as coping strategies, contributing factors and subjects' p ersonal views and reactions are also explored. In a sample of 100 subj ects drawn primarily from the in-patient wards at Royal Park Hospital the MUPS was found to be an acceptable instrument to subjects in the f ield. Interrater reliability assessed in a subsample of 30 subjects wa s found to be high at the level of the individual items. Whether used in whole or part, the MUPS provides a reliable and acceptable method o f assessing patients' experience of auditory hallucinations.