Cognitive Distortion Scales™ (CDS™)
John Briere, Ph.D.

The CDS is a brief, reliable self-assessment of cognitive distortions in adults.  Designed for both clinical and nonclinical contexts, the CDS is effective in testing individuals with and without histories of personal trauma.  CDS scales reflect five types of cognitive distortion:
 
• Self-Criticism
• Self-Blame
• Helplessness
• Hopelessness
• Preoccupation With Danger
 
Respondents use a 5-point scale to rate the frequency of occurrence of 40 items during the previous month, and then a profile graph can be drawn to portray scores relative to the normative sample.
 
Written at a 5th grade reading level, the CDS can be administered to individuals or groups in 10-15 minutes, and hand-scored in 5 minutes.  In addition to quick and convenient administration, the CDS delivers a thorough and reliable profile for every respondent.
 
The CDS has demonstrated construct, convergent, and discriminant validity in both the general population and in clinical samples.