PSYCHLOPS has been developed by a group of primary care professionals and therapists based at the Department of Primary Care and Public Health Sciences, King's College London.

The development of PSYCHLOPS was strongly influenced by Depression Alliance who provided a user perspective. Its roots lie in MYMOP which is a patient-generated outcome measure focussing primarily on physical problems.

PSYCHLOPS has been in development since 1999. Following validation studies, it was launched in 2004. Initially designed as a before and after measure, a new during-therapy version was launched in 2007. The latest version, PSYCHLOPS Version 5, was launched in 2010. The intention is that Version 5 should be the definitive version for a minimum of five years to ensure a period of stability.