Ask for a number first, then go hunting for exceptions. How is today on a scale of one to ten, and when was it last higher than that?

Much of the symptom wording was written with children in mind. If a question sounds like it is about someone climbing the furniture, translate it into your adult life rather than answering no.

One man put his lamps on a timer so the room would go dark at eleven and send him to bed. It worked for a few nights. Then he simply carried on in the dark. A cue can tell you the time. It cannot make you stand up.

The family history is not the warm up before the real assessment. Give it proper time and it will often tell you more than any single rating scale in the folder.