Understanding and evaluating an adolescent's struggles are often not straightforward. Although mood, behavior, and common developmental challenges can appear similar on the surface, they are often driven by distinct underlying factors.

User's Guide for the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-5 Alternative Model for Personality Disorders, Module I, Adolescent Version (SCID-5-AMPD Module I-A) helps clinicians dive under the surface, asking better questions that allow for clearer, well-supported conclusions when administering and scoring the Module I-A interview for the Level of Personality Functioning Scale (LPFS) for adolescents. Introduced in DSM-5, the LPFS helps clinicians evaluate whether the personality features of Criterion A in the DSM-5 Alternative Model are met[AE2.1].

This guide outlines a semistructured interview process that focuses on understanding how adolescents function as people in their relationships—with themselves and others. Rather than relying on checklists or first impressions, providers use a funnel-style evaluation, beginning with broad, open-ended questions and narrowing to targeted follow-up questions as needed.

By evaluating across the four LPFS domains—Identity, Self-Direction, Empathy, and Intimacy—clinicians can better understand how adolescents see themselves, set goals, understand others, and form relationships. This allows them to see past the adolescent's surface-level reports and better interpret their uneven or limited insights—a common challenge when evaluating youths—by drawing on real-world examples and observing behavior during sessions.

The guide provides structured scoring guidance that uses anchors across domains/subdomains, as well as clinical examples and observational guidelines. This helps providers turn their impressions into clear ratings that support treatment planning and collaboration with care teams.

Designed for psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health care providers, the User's Guide emphasizes clinical judgment and practical use, making it a reliable companion to the Module I-A interview for assessing personality functioning in adolescents.