TAG - Threshold assessment grid

The TAG is a short, quickly completed assessment of the severity of an individual's mental health problems. It was developed to help identify people who should be referred to community mental health services for adults and older people.

GPs or other health professionals can use the TAG to rate the severity of a individual's difficulties by ticking boxes in seven domains.

The scores range from none (no problem in that particular domain) to either severe or very severe. In each domain, the person completing the assessment simply ticks the statement that best applies to the individual who is being assessed.

The TAG can be used by anyone who needs to decide whether the severity of a person’s mental health problems warrants contact with mental health services. A wide range of professionals have successfully completed the TAG, including GPs, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, care managers, liaison mental health team staff, health visitors, parole officers, physicians, psychologists, housing officers, alcohol workers and voluntary sector workers. Training is not required.

It takes less than five minutes to complete the assessment.

TAG was developed between 1996 and 1998 by Professor Mike Slade (who now leads the recovery research team) and colleagues at the Institute of Psychiatry (now the Institute of Psychiatry, Psycholgy & Neuroscience), King's College London.