The article discusses the development and validation of short scales for detecting anxiety and depression in general medical settings, aimed at aiding non-psychiatrists in recognizing mental illness. The scales were derived using latent trait analysis from a standardized psychiatric research interview, focusing on screening questions and probe questions. The scales were designed to be used by non-psychiatrists in clinical investigations and to educate medical students about common psychiatric illnesses. The scales were found to have high specificity (91%) and sensitivity (86%) when compared to a full set of 60 questions in a psychiatric assessment schedule. The scales were validated through a study involving 427 patients, with the screening questions chosen based on low thresholds and good slopes, and the probe questions selected for high thresholds and adequate slopes. The scales were effective in identifying anxiety and depression, with a mean of 5-9 questions asked on the anxiety scale and 5-3 on the depression scale. The scales can be used to assess the severity of psychological disturbances and to measure the prevalence of affective illness in populations. Further studies are needed to confirm their validity in non-specialist settings.The article discusses the development and validation of short scales for detecting anxiety and depression in general medical settings, aimed at aiding non-psychiatrists in recognizing mental illness. The scales were derived using latent trait analysis from a standardized psychiatric research interview, focusing on screening questions and probe questions. The scales were designed to be used by non-psychiatrists in clinical investigations and to educate medical students about common psychiatric illnesses. The scales were found to have high specificity (91%) and sensitivity (86%) when compared to a full set of 60 questions in a psychiatric assessment schedule. The scales were validated through a study involving 427 patients, with the screening questions chosen based on low thresholds and good slopes, and the probe questions selected for high thresholds and adequate slopes. The scales were effective in identifying anxiety and depression, with a mean of 5-9 questions asked on the anxiety scale and 5-3 on the depression scale. The scales can be used to assess the severity of psychological disturbances and to measure the prevalence of affective illness in populations. Further studies are needed to confirm their validity in non-specialist settings.