On a scale of 1 - 10

[Gearedtoyou]

Where 10 is very good, what does that actually mean?

I've just had an assessment to see if I can access some free bereavement counselling. The questions were along the lines of

• how is your mood
• how are your relationships
• how are you coping with life generally

I'm usually a very "content" person who just gets on with stuff. I haven't gone to pieces, I can still do what needs doing, m still eating and feeding the family, the house is clean as much as it usually is I still shower daily, exercise and attend social things (because I'm trying to help myself), but I'm much less myself than I usually am. I can only manage one thing at a time, people fussing makes me very irritable and tiny things going wrong will have me in tears.

I answered 5 for all of them.

Sounds like you are a 4 to 5

The scales are bound to be interpreted differently by different people, and so their validity is questionable, not only for the same person asked at different times, but especially for different people.

Hopefully, these scales will not be the only deciding factor in you being provided with the help you need. Because if they are - there is no evidence base for this.

If you are denied it - ask them for the evidence of the validity of their questionnaire in assessing mood and need for bereavement counselling. It may well be that it is just a tool they are using to give some sort of baseline, rather than assessing your need for counselling.

I hate this sort of thing, it's all so meaningless and subjective. I have a work form to complete and I simply can't do it, because it has nonsense like 'on a scale of 1-10 how was your mood yesterday' with no context about whether your mood is affected by work, are any issues short or long term and was yesterday's mood typical of the overall picture, and you just know that if you put anything other than a positive, everyone will overeact and make a big thing about it.